Negima: Second Childhood Sword
by D.M.Ash
Summary: Konoemon hires someone to become Negi's teaching assistant, Akuro Sakuragi, but circumstances forces him to hide his identity from the rest of the school. Maybe it has to do with his connection to Konoka and Setsuna in the past?
1. Masked Reunion

Negima – Second Childhood Sword

Chapter 1 – Masked Reunion

_Dreamstate – around eight years ago_

An eight year old boy and two seven year old girls were playing in a field not far from a mansion. They had just finished playing a game where one of the girls was playing the princess, while the other girl holding a wooden sword was trying to rescue her from the evil person played by the boy, who was also holding a wooden sword. In the end, the boy lost as his sword flew out of his hand by a hard strike from the girl.

Now they were lying on the grass exhausted. They looked up at the sky as the boy said, "Why do I always have to play the bad guy?"

One of the girls, known as Konoka Konoe, replied, "Because Kuro-chan, Se-chan isn't very good a playing a bad guy, right Se-chan?"

The other girl, Setsuna Sakurazaki, said, "I-I can't act that way to Kono-chan…"

The boy got up and gave Setsuna an odd look as he said, "And only I can?"

Setsuna blushed as she replied, "N-no! That's not what I meant!"

"Kuro-chan's always a bad boy!" Konoka shouted happily.

The boy shouted back, "I am not!" The two girls jumped up and giggled as they ran away, with the boy chasing them shouting, "I'm gonna get you two for that!"

* * *

_An airplane on its way to Japan_

A sixteen year old boy was sleeping on a plane on it's way to Japan. He woke up due to the dream he had, which he dreamt of from time to time. He grumbled to himself, "Akuro Sakuragi, you better get a hold of yourself."

Akuro Sakuragi, a Shinmei-ryu swordsman and western trained mage, was on his way to Japan, or more specifically, Mahora Academy, at the request of Dean Konoe. From what he heard from a letter he received, his friend Negi Springfield had just become an official teacher at the Academy. They had met a few years ago at the Magic Academy while he was training his magical abilities there on the request of the Kanto Magic Association.

Look-wise, Akuro had short black hair with a small ponytail wrapped in a bandage at the back. Having brown eyes and slightly feminine facial features, Akuro looked pretty ordinary to most people. To him though he didn't care too much about how he looked to others; it was just something he grew up with.

Since Akuro had potential to learn western magic and to improve relations, the Kanto Magic Association sent him to Wales around four years ago as some kind of envoy from Japan. During his stay he trained to become a Magister Magi, as well as perfecting his Shinmei-ryu skills. Akuro preferred to use his sword skills over his magical powers, even thought he had the rare ability to cast some spells without a release code. The spells themselves took too long to chant and he would be in close combat most of the time.

As the plane landed in Japan he thought, 'Wow, it's been about a month since I've been here last.' He had come back to Japan back in December to deal with Shinmei-ryu business, or more specifically, the Kyoto Shinmei-ryu Association. He only stayed for a week before returning to Wales to continue training his magical abilities, despite graduating from the Magic Academy.

Now he was traveling to Mahora Academy in a cab to meet with Dean Konoe about being Negi's assistant and watching over him and Konoka from the shadows. He hasn't seen either Konoka or Setsuna in eight years and he really did wonder how they were doing, and how much they changed. Akuro was still a bit angry over what happened back then that caused him to be separated from Konoka and Setsuna, and the ruling that stated that he was forbidden to come into contact with either of them. This also happened to be another issue that Dean Konoe wanted to speak to him about, which had Akuro curious.

The cab had stopped in front of the academy and after Akuro paid the driver he got out. Akuro was wearing a hoodie that covered his facial features in shadow a bit, along with two long swords that were covered in a black cloth. He didn't want to see either Konoka or Setsuna recognizing him just yet, until the meeting with the Dean was done with at the very least. As Akuro walked up to the campus he was greeted by woman in a doctor's coat. She had long pale blue hair and as Akuro noticed, a bigger than normal chest. However he was busy looking into the woman's eyes and saw a pair of matching eyes that looked quite caring.

The woman introduced herself, "Hello, you must be the guest that Dean Konoe was waiting for. I'm Shizuna Minamoto and I'll lead you to the Dean's office. Please follow me."

Akuro followed Shizuna as he gave her a small introduction. In the school Akuro followed Shizuna and thankfully he didn't run into any students along the way, with Shizuna explaining that the next term was going to officially start tomorrow.

It felt a long way until they were standing in front of a pair of big wooden doors. Shizuna said, "This is the Dean's office, please come in Sakuragi-san."

"Thank you very much." Akuro said. He thought to himself, 'I wonder what Konoe-sama wants with me. The last time I heard from him he tried to overrule the sentence that was put on me eight years ago.'

* * *

_Mahora Academy – Dean's office_

Akuro walked into Dean Konoemon's office with Konoemon saying, "Ah, Akuro, I see you've arrived safely."

A nod came from Akuro as he took off his hood and said, "Yes, the flight was smooth and quiet." He walked up to Konoemon's desk and asked, "I understand you wished to see me Konoe-sama?"

Konoemon replied, "Ho ho, please Akuro, there's no need to be so formal. It's not like you're in front of the Kanto tribunal."

"Hahaha, I guess you're right Dean Konoe." Akuro laughed, relaxing a bit, "I am curious though, why did you call me here anyway? If I recall, that sentence the Associations put on me is still in effect concerning Konoka and Setsuna."

"Yes, I know, and as I voiced before, it's still unfair in my opinion." Konoemon sighed, "But this is Mahora Academy, and I get the final say when it comes to Mahora." Akuro couldn't help but smirk at that as he asked, "Okay, but I get the feeling there's more to this than Konoka and Setsuna."

Konoemon raised his eyebrows and said, "Yes, actually I called you here for something else entirely. You remember Negi Springfield?"

Akuro nodded, remembering how he befriended Negi Springfield four years ago. Akuro ended up staying with Negi and Nekane when the place he was suppose to be staying at burned down, which happened to be in Negi's village. The two, along with Negi's friend Anya, attended the academy together.

"Yes, I hear that Negi's been stationed here as a teacher." Akuro told him. Konoemon was about to say something else when there was a knock and Negi walked in saying, "You wanted to see me Dean Konoe?"

Negi saw Akuro standing there and was really surprised to see Akuro in the room to say the least. He said, "A-Akuro?"

"Hey Negi, what's up?" Akuro said casually. Negi walked up to him asking, "What are you doing here Akuro?"

"I think I should answer that." Konoemon told them. The two turned to him as he continued, "Negi, since you've become a full-fledged teacher here at the academy I wondered if you were going to have trouble with your class, especially in your case. So, I called Akuro here so that he can be your teaching assistant."

The two of them looked at him in shock as Akuro said, "Excuse me Dean Konoe, but are you serious?!"

"Don't worry, you will be using an alias while working here until I can work out something. Also, I hear you're quite something with glamour magic, so I suggest you use that too." Konoemon explained.

Negi and Akuro looked at each other wondering if this was a good idea. Negi heard about Akuro's situation back during their academy days so he knew what was going on, to an extent, since Akuro never said any names. Akuro sighed and he held up his right hand, which had a ring on it, and chanted, "Mucro est meus Animus, Glamour Abeo!"

There was a flash of light and when it died down, in Akuro's place stood a girl in Akuro's clothing. Her hair was halfway down her back and she looked really pretty, in Negi's opinion. Both the Dean and Negi knew it was Akuro using a glamour spell which was quite convincing, in their opinion. Akuro said in his soft, feminine voice, "Okay, meet Akari Sakuraba, Negi-sensei's temporary teacher's assistant."

The Dean nodded and said, "Ho ho, good, with this the Associations will most likely leave you alone Aku- ahem, I mean Akari-chan."

Akuro gave Konoemon a certain scary look and said in a quiet, yet dangerous voice, "Please don't add 'chan' to my name Dean Konoe, despite my appearance. The only ones that can add that to my name are those two."

Negi wondered who Akuro was taking about, while Konoemon coughed and said a bit formally, "Of course Sakuraba-sensei."

Akuro put his hands on Negi's shoulders and said, "Well then, I guess you'll be introducing me to your class tomorrow, eh Negi-sensei?" That's when Konoemon asked, "So, where are you staying Akuro?"

That made Akuro think, then he said, "I'll go stay at the nearby hotel for a while, until I can think of something."

"Oho, I can arrange for you to stay with one of the girls of 3-A." Konoemon suggested. Akuro shook 'her' head saying, "No, it's too risky. My glamour spells are pretty strong, but a pretty huge shock to me can break it down easily."

Konoemon sighed and said, "Okay, let me take care of everything then." Akuro bowed his head and said, "Thank you very much Dean Konoe." Then Akuro turned to Negi and said, "We have some catching up to do Negi." Then he dragged Negi out of the room leaving Konoemon by himself.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – hallway_

The next day, Negi, Akuro, and Takamichi were walking down the hallway on their way to the classroom of the now 3-A. Takamichi couldn't help but say, "I must say, that glamour is quite impressive Akuro, especially with Mahora's uniform on you."

"Shut it." Akuro hissed. He was fuming a bit that he had to wear Mahora's uniform. Konoemon had sent it to Akuro's hotel room early in the morning with a note saying, "Wear this on your first day." Akuro didn't have much of a choice, since he was totally unprepared for this, and most of his clothes weren't appropriate for working as a teacher. Thankfully it came with a pair of black leather shorts so he didn't have to worry about being conscious about the skirt.

Akuro gave a sigh as Negi said, "The class of 3-A might be a bit eccentric but you'll see that they're really nice girls."

Akuro couldn't help but feel that there was something missing in Negi's sentence as the three of them reached 3-A's door. Takamichi waved at them saying, "Well, I'll see you two later Negi, Akari."

As they watched Takamichi walk away Akuro said darkly, "Ha, you would've think he'd stay and watch me squirm for a bit." Negi scoffed at that saying, "Takamichi isn't like that."

"Uh huh." Was all Akuro could say as he watched Negi open the door and walk in to the classroom. He listened in as he heard a shout say, "Third year, Class A Negi-sensei!" 'Wow, they sure sound fired up.' Akuro thought to himself.

Then he heard Negi say in a formal tone, "Um… I'm now the formal teacher for class 3-A. My name is Negi Springfield. I'll be your teacher from here on until March next year. It will be a pleasure teaching all of you. But first I would like to introduce you to someone." That's when Akuro heard the murmurs of the class and he heard Negi say, "Please come in."

Akuro took that as his queue to come in. He opened the door and walked into the classroom. The room was dead silent as Akuro walked up to beside the podium and he turned to the entire class. He bowed saying, "Hello everyone. My name is Akari Sakuraba, and I'll be Negi-sensei's teacher's assistant for the year, despite my appearance. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

The room was silent, making Akuro think, 'Oh no, did I screw up or something already.' He knew the glamour was firmly in place and that everything else was perfect so there was no problem. Suddenly there was a scream and before he knew it, several girls had surrounded him in a flash.

From what Akuro could tell, the girls were all asking him questions all at once, that he couldn't tell what they were saying, not to mention that he was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the questions. Negi tried to calm the girls down saying, "Please, everyone, leave your questions until after class!" That was when Shizuna opened the door saying, "Oh my, everyone's quite energetic this morning."

They didn't notice Shizuna at first and she watched with amusement as Akuro struggled to regain his composure, then she coughed, getting everyone's attention. The students surrounding Akuro quickly returned to their seats as Shizuna walked into the classroom. Akuro picked himself up from the floor since he had fallen from the sudden swarm with Negi asking, "Are you alright Ak-ari-sensei?"

From the way Negi said it, Akuro assumed that Negi managed to catch himself in the nick of time as Akuro replied, "I'm fine Negi-sensei, just a bit surprised that's all." Now that Akuro was standing he took a look at the class and he instantly recognized two faces. He managed to hide his surprise and thought, 'Konoka and Setsuna, the Dean didn't say anything about this!'

While Negi was taking attendance he felt someone staring at him and he turned to see that Evangeline was the one doing the staring. Akuro noticed it too but didn't say anything, only thinking, 'That girl gives me an odd feeling.' That's when he noticed Setsuna staring at him with a curious look. When Akuro turned towards her, she quickly looked away and thought, 'I think bringing Ryuhana and Yatsusuna with me made her suspicious somehow.'

Ryuhana and Yatsusuna, they are two Shinmei-ryu swords that he carries around with him most of the time. Yatsusuna is his own personal nodachi, while Ryuhana is a special katana he received from his master four years ago. From what Akuro heard from his master, the katana Ryuhana had the ability to absorb energy from its wielder, mostly ki, and store it within itself. He also heard that the katana was called the blade of the Shinmei-ryu, and that they say that whoever wields Ryuhana is supposed to be master of Shinmei-ryu arts. Akuro himself was still only at the level of a just graduated apprentice, and his skills rusted a tiny bit after he went to Wales to learn western magic.

After Negi had finished roll call Shizuna said, "Okay everyone, it's time for your examinations." At that Akuro bowed and said, "Well, I'll see you girls later then." Then Akuro left the room and he heard Negi say, "Okay class, please take off your clothes and get ready for the examinations!" Akuro couldn't help but laugh and think, 'That sounded so wrong Negi.'

At that moment the entire class erupted and Negi was playfully chased out by the class. He found Akuro waiting just outside the classroom and he said, "That was quite entertaining, right Negi?"

Negi was still a bit embarrassed about the whole thing and whispered, "That's not very funny Akuro. Akuro grinned and said, "Wonder what would happen if I told Nekane about it?" As Akuro looked at Negi in a teasing way Negi waved his arms saying, "No, anything but that!"

That's when they heard someone shouting, "Negi-sensei!"

The two turned to the source, which was Ako Izumi who was running towards them. Everyone in 3-A heard her shout too and wondered what was going on. Ako stopped in front of them and she was catching her breath saying, "There's trouble Negi-sensei! Makie is… Makie is…!"

Negi was about to ask when the door opened, with Asuna at the front in her underwear shouting, "What happened to Makie?!" This made both Akuro and Negi shout in surprise as Akuro quickly got the situation under control and said, "Please lead the way miss…"

Ako was thrown off guard, since she wasn't there when 'Akari-sensei' introduced herself. Akuro quickly said, "I'm Negi-sensei's new assistant teacher, Akari Sakuraba."

"Oh, I see…" Ako replied. Half of the class was already dressed and they followed Ako, Akuro, and Negi to the infirmary. Akuro couldn't help but think, 'Man, for my first day, there sure is a lot going on…'

Back inside the classroom, Setsuna had finished changing after being measured. She thought to herself, 'That new teacher, she has an aura of a Shinmei-ryu swordswoman, and she has a sword that's as long as mine. I'll look into it a little later.'

* * *

_Mahora Academy – infirmary_

Negi and Akuro were near the bed that Makie was sleeping in. The students that came with them, which included Konoka, Fuuka, Fumika, and Sakurako, were surrounding Makie's bed, talking about how she was found asleep in the middle of Sakura Lane. Akuro couldn't help but wonder why Makie was found in a place like that.

Akuro looked over to Negi, who looked like he was pondering over something, while looking at Makie's sleeping form. He gave Negi a nudge and asked in a whisper, "What's on your mind Negi?"

"Eh? Can't you feel it?" Negi whispered back. Akuro didn't know what he was talking about until Negi told him to clear his mind a bit. He did and Akuro suddenly felt a very small pulse of magic come from Makie. Akuro's eyes narrowed a bit as he asked Negi in a whisper, "What is that Negi?"

"…I'm not sure." Negi replied. That's when Asuna asked, "Something wrong Negi?"

Negi shook his head and said, "No, it's nothing Asuna-san." Then he went on to say to the others, "There's no need to worry about Makie-san. She's just a bit anemic…" Akuro wondered about that as Negi turned to Asuna saying, "By the way Asuna-san, I will be home late tonight, so I won't be eating dinner."

Asuna looked a bit surprised at that and said, "Oh, okay…" Konoka walked up to them and asked, "Are you sure that's alright, not eating dinner like that…?"

Akuro put his arm around Negi and said, "Don't worry about it Konoe-san, I'm taking Negi with me to show me around Mahora a bit, and we'll have dinner while we're at it." Konoka looked a bit relieved and said, "I see…" Then she took a look at Akuro and said, "You know Sakuraba-sensei, you sort of remind me of someone…"

"…R-really?" Akuro said, gulping and hoping that he wasn't figured out. That's when Konoka said, "Hmm, I can't seem to put my finger on it though…" Akuro sighed a bit, but a part of him was a bit disappointed too. He said, "Don't worry, I'm sure it will come to you in time. C'mon Negi, let's get back to class."

"S-sure." Negi replied, and followed Akuro out. As they walked back to class Akuro saw Negi thinking and thought, 'First day's already turning out to be interesting…'

* * *

_Mahora Academy – near Sakura Lane_

Negi and Akuro were walking back towards Sakura Lane after Akuro dragged Negi around for clothes for his glamour. After picking out a few clothes that were going to be for teaching purposes only, and having a small dinner, Negi had asked Akuro to accompany him to Sakura Lane to investigate something. After Akuro went back to the hotel he was staying at for a quick change, which consisted of black jeans which were a bit baggy on his glamoured body, and a black t-shirt with a light gray coat over it, he followed Negi over to Sakura Lane. On his way there he thought, 'Ugh, it's a good thing I only use bandages to cover this chest from my glamour, a bra is just a no go.'

As Negi and Akuro walked together, Akuro asked, "So, you're going to figure out what happened right?"

"Yes…there might be another mage around here besides us and some of the other teachers…" Negi replied. Akuro wondered about that when all of a sudden they heard a scream, and in an instant, Negi was flying on his staff, heading towards the source of the scream. Akuro ran after him muttering, "Man, that kid sure knows how to react fast. Kind of shameful for someone like myself, now that I think about it."

As he ran Akuro felt an influx of magic and thought, 'That's Negi, and…someone else…' By the time Akuro caught up with Negi, he came across an interesting site. Negi was kneeling over Nodoka and nearby, looking at them was Evangeline. Akuro thought, 'Evangeline? That's weird, the Dean should've said something about this…'

Negi, however, was totally shocked and shouted, "Eh…?! You-you're…from my class, Evangeline-san?!"

Evangeline just smirked at them and commented, "To have such power despite your age…just as I would expect from that man's son…" Then she noticed Akuro standing nearby and said, "Oh, and I see that Sakuraba-sensei's here too. I wonder what the Shinmei-ryu swordswoman wants."

'So she knows huh? Not surprising, but I wonder if she'll be able to figure out my glamour.' Akuro thought. He took out Yatsusuna and held it in his hands, still sheathed, but ready to attack. Akuro asked, "I wonder, what reason someone like you would have for attacking a girl like Miyazaki-san?"

"Would you like to know…?" Evangeline replied, sounding like a taunt. Akuro narrowed his eyes and put his right hand on Yatsusuna's hilt thinking, 'Definitely this requires a visit to the Dean's office.'

Evangeline licked the blood off of her finger, while Akuro asked, "Is Miyazaki-san alright Negi?"

"Yes, I think she's fine Ak-ari." Negi replied, with Akuro hearing that Negi managed to catch himself again.

As Akuro turned his eyes back to Evangeline, who seemed to be leering at them quite a bit, Akuro thought, 'Man, this is sure one heck of a first day for a teacher's assistant!'

* * *

Note: I'm sorry if there are one or two things that are incorrect, or not accurate. One more thing, Mucro est meus Animus is Latin for The Sword is my Soul. Sorry if this is inaccurate, since I used an online translator.


	2. Rough Start

Chapter 2 – Rough Start

_Mahora – Sakura Lane_

Negi looked at Evangeline and demanded, "J-just who are you?! You're a mage just like us! Why are you doing such a thing?!"

Akuro couldn't help but wince at that as he thought, 'Oh Negi…' Evangeline enlightened him as she took out a few vials and replied, "Negi-sensei…there are good mages in this world, and there are bad ones…" At that instant, Evangeline threw the vials together at them, and their contents mixed together in mid-air as she shouted, "Frigerans Exarmatio!"

The contents glowed at Evangeline's words and Akuro instinctively jumped back, while Negi shielded most of the spell with one of his own, but in the process, part of Negi's shirt turned to ice and crumbled, while Nodoka, unfortunately, was practically stripped naked by the spell.

Evangeline seemed slightly impressed as she said, "Did you block it? I knew it…" Then she addressed Akuro, "…And I see that a Shinmei-ryu's reflexes are as good as ever too…"

Negi tried to see if Nodoka was okay, but got embarrassed that Nodoka was naked thanks to Evangeline's spell. Akuro took one look and knew this would look pretty bad if someone were to see the scene. As luck would have it, Akuro heard running footsteps from behind. He turned around to look, only to see Asuna and Konoka running up to them, and Akuro quickly put Yatsusuna back in the black cloth before either one would notice.

As they approached, Asuna shouted, "What was that just now?!" She quickly spots Negi and says, "Ah Negi-!" But quickly stops after seeing a practically naked Nodoka in Negi's arms. Both Konoka and Asuna are dumbstruck by the scene as Negi tries to explain himself but couldn't the words out.

Konoka overreacts saying, "N-Negi-kun's the vampire!" Negi shouts back, "N-no! This is just a misunderstanding!" Akuro sighs and shakes his head, which Konoka notices, and shouts, "Ah, Sakuraba-sensei's a vampire too?!"

As the scene goes on both Akuro and Negi notice Evangeline slip away as Negi shouts, "Ah, wait!" Asuna notices too and says, "Hm? Wasn't that…?"

Negi quickly gives Nodoka to Konoka and says, "A-Asuna-san, Konoka-san, Akari! I'll leave Miyazaki-san to you three. I'm going to go after the person who's been causing the incidents! Please escort the girl's back to the dorms Akari!"

"Eh? Hey wait a minute Negi-!" Akuro shouted, but he felt magic form at Negi's feet as he shouted, "I'm off!" With that he ran after Evangeline with the help of his wind magic, making Konoka shout, "Uwah! He's fast."

Akuro just shook his head while Asuna shouted, "Wait, Negi!!" That's when Asuna suddenly ran after him making Akuro shout, "Kagurazaki-san?!"

With both Negi and Asuna long gone, Akuro didn't have much of a choice but to tend to Nodoka and Konoka. He quickly took off his coat and wrapped it around Nodoka, taking care not to look long. Then Akuro quickly said, "Let's get her back to the dorms Ko-noe-san."

Konoka nodded and the two quickly walked back towards the dorms. Akuro thought, 'Shoot, I nearly said 'Kono-chan' for a second there. Better be careful from now on.' That's when Konoka said, "I don't mind if you call me Konoka, Sakuraba-sensei."

As the approached the dorms Akuro said, "Well, I don't mind if you call me Akari either, Konoka-san."

Konoka opened the door and let Akuro in first, since he was carrying Nodoka on his back. Inside Akuro asked, "So, where should I put her down Konoka-san?"

"Hmm, we'll bring her to my room for now I guess." Konoka replied. Akuro nodded and was led right to the room. She opened the door and Akuro put Nodoka down on the nearest bed as gently as he could. Then sighed and turned to Konoka telling her, "I'd better go and check up on those two, I'll see you in class Konoka-san."

"Bye Akari-sensei." Konoka replied as Akuro left the room. She sat down beside Nodoka, who was starting to stir and thought, 'Hmm, Akari-sensei reminds me of someone, but who?' She just shook her head and turned to Nodoka who was awake by now.

Outside the dorm Akuro took out Yatsusuna and headed towards one of the buildings, where he felt surges of magic. He used one of his own spells to move faster than normal as he thought, 'Let's hope Negi's still in one piece… If anything bad happened to him, I don't want to think how Nekane will react…!"

Little did he know, he was being watched by Setsuna, who saw everything from her room window and thought, 'As I thought, that woman is a Shinmei-ryu swordswoman…I think a talk with the Dean is in order.'

* * *

_Mahora – building rooftop_

By the time Akuro reached the place, all he found was Negi crying in Asuna's arms. He also noticed that there were bite marks on his neck and thought, 'Hmm, looks like a vampire bite. Evangeline must be a vampire then, though I wonder what happened.' He approached the two and asked, "What happened Negi?"

Asuna freaked out a bit and was about to attack Akuro when Negi sniffed and said, "No, she's with us Asuna-san." Asuna wondered about that and asked, "You mean, she's a mage like you?"

As Negi just nodded, Akuro thought, 'Negi got figured out already?' He shook his head as Akuro said, "Let me take a look at that bite Negi." The two parted and Akuro looked at the bite mark on Negi's neck. He was thankful that it wasn't serious and thought, 'My healing magic isn't very good but…' Akuro held his right hand near Negi's neck and chanted a spell that healed up the bite marks.

When Akuro was finished, he turned to Asuna and asked, "So, you know about magic, right Kagurazaka-san?"

That's when Negi seemed to snap back to himself, and he went in a panic and said, "Oh, please don't say anything about it Akuro, or else I'll be turned into an ermine!" Asuna looked at the two and thought, 'Akuro? Who's that?'

Akuro, noticing Negi's little slip up, told him, "I won't say anything about it, since I just exposed myself too you know." Negi thought about it and sighed saying, "Yes, I see." He started to sniffle and Akuro turned to Asuna and asked, "So, what happened to Negi again?"

Since Negi didn't look like he was in the mood, Asuna was the one to explain to Akuro, "You see Sakuraba-sensei, I'm not sure what happened, since by the time I arrived, Evangeline had already bitten Negi. Not only that, Chachamaru was here too! Something about being Evangeline's partner or something…"

Akuro cupped his chin and thought, 'So they're in this together? Though I guess it's a bit surprising to see a robot as someone's partner.' He sighed and said, "I'm going to get going now, you're going to take care of Negi, right?"

"Yes, since he's rooming with me and Konoka." Asuna replied. Akuro was surprised at that, but he said, "I see, well I'll see you tomorrow then Negi." He shook his head as Akuro jumped down the side of the building, using magic and his reflexes to cushion the fall. As he made his way back to the hotel he thought, 'Hmm, quite surprising for the first day…' Akuro just shrugged and quickly made his way to his hotel room.

* * *

Mahora Academy – 3-A classroom

The next day, Akuro, in a formal female work suit complete with grey pants, was in front of the classroom door when he saw Negi, Asuna, and Konoka walking together. As they got closer, Konoka and Asuna greeted him saying, "Good morning sensei."

"Morning Konoka-san, Kagurazaka-san." Akuro greeted back. Asuna raised an eyebrow when Akuro said Konoka's name, while Akuro looked at Negi, who looked like he was scared that he might run into something he didn't like. He asked, "Had trouble with him earlier?"

"How did you know?" Asuna asked. Akuro pointed to Negi and replied, "It's written all over his face. You two better get on in, I'll see what's wrong with him."

The two just nodded and walked into the classroom. As other students passed by Akuro put his hand on Negi's shoulder, which made him jump a bit, until he saw that it was just Akuro. Negi said, "Oh, Ak-ari, it's just you."

Akuro raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong with you Negi? You look like you're expecting 'someone' to attack you."

At that Negi looked like he wanted to run away, and was about to, when Akuro grabbed him from behind by the collar of his neck when Negi tried. Akuro forcefully turned Negi to the door and whispered, "You're a mage, so buck up and face your fear Negi!"

As the door opened Negi panicked and said, "Wait, Akari-!" He was cut off however, when the entire class shouted, "Good morning Negi-sensei, Sakuraba-sensei!"

Akuro replied, "Good morning class." He still had his hands on Negi when they noticed Evangeline wasn't in class and Chachamaru walked in behind them saying, "Master came to school, she's just skipping class." Negi just jumped back at the sound of Chachamaru's voice while Akuro just turned to her and asked, "Do you know where McDowell-san is Karakuri-san?"

"Should I call for her?" Chachamaru asked in response to Akuro's question. Akuro was about to answer when Negi cut him off in a panicked voice saying, "No! It's alright! It's perfectly fine!"

Negi turned around and seemed to be in a panic, while Akuro just shook his head and said, "Please take your seat Karakuri-san." Chachamaru nodded and walked over to her seat, while Akuro thought, 'What a dilemma…'

As the school bell ran and Negi took attendance, Akuro walked up to Negi and said, "Mind if I say something Negi-sensei?" Negi replied, "Oh, ah, of course Akari-sensei."

Negi stepped down from the desk and Akuro took his place and said, "I know that all of you have questions for me, considering what happened yesterday." At that some of the students exchanged looks as Akuro continued, "But I need to clarify a few things first. One of them is that I'm only going to be here temporarily."

There was much surprised among 3-A as Ayaka stood up and asked, "Excuse me Sakuraba-sensei, but what do you mean by that?"

Akuro took a deep breath and replied, "A friend of mine was supposed to be here, but a few business matters prevented him from being here. Instead, he called me to fill in for him." That's when Kazumi raised her hand and asked, "So, who and where is this friend of yours Sakuraba-sensei?"

A sigh came from Akuro and he replied, "My friend is in Wales, currently tied up in certain matters. As for his name, it's Akuro Sakuragi, a friend of mine and Negi's."

There were mixed reactions among the class, but the ones Akuro paid attention to were Konoka's and Setsuna's. Konoka's reaction was with a look of surprise and shock on her face, and even Setsuna's had a similar impression, though she quickly masked it. Surprisingly Konoka kept silent while the rest of the class had questioning looks on their faces, which made Akuro say, "Please hold your questions until class is over please. Negi, if you would start?"

Negi looked out of it just standing there, which made Akuro walk over to him and gave him a poke in the shoulder, which made Negi snap out of it and say, "Oh, Akari-sensei!" Akuro looked at him and said, "It's time to start the class now."

A few students giggled at that as Negi looked a bit flustered and said, "Yes, you're right."

As class went on, Akuro decided to just watch Negi for now, even though Negi was still looking like he was totally out of it. He found it funny when Negi asked about partners out of the blue, which pretty much triggered a reaction out of most of the class. Akuro just sighed as the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Negi apologized for the question and tried to leave, and ran smack right into the door, which nearly made Akuro laugh as he walked over to his side to make sure he was alright.

Asuna ran after them and Akuro noticed and said, "Don't worry about Negi Kagurazaka-san, I'll take care of him." Asuna nodded and said, "Fine, but I'll come over after classes just to check."

"Okay then." Akuro said, and with Negi, who still looked out of it, the two walked down the hall to their next class while Asuna returned to her classroom.

* * *

_Mahora – campus road_

"I'm telling you, you're worrying about this way too much Negi, that girl won't just pop out of nowhere and eat you." Asuna assured Negi as they and Akuro were walking down the road that led to the dorms. Negi still looked scared as he said, "Even if you say that…"

"Ha…and I've been telling him this for the better part of the classes. I think he's too scared to listen." Akuro said. Half of the time in the classes, Akuro was busy trying to keep Negi focused, while the other half, he ended up somewhat teaching some of the classes when he gave up trying to snap Negi out of it.

Asuna happened to hear what Akuro said and she assured Negi, "Anyway, if that happens again, me and Sakuraba-sensei will drive her off…so cheer up Negi!"

A smirk came from Akuro while Negi reasoned with her, "Asuna-san, you just don't understand how scary she is!"

As they walked, Akuro's mind started to wander a bit, and that happened to leave Negi open to being taken right under their noses, with him shouting, "What?!"

Akuro snapped out of it and Asuna heard Negi shout, but when they turned around to look, Negi was nowhere to be found. Akuro just slapped her head while Asuna continued to look around and said, "Negi…?" Then she turned to Akuro and asked, "Sakuraba-sensei, where's Negi?"

"Sorry Kagurazaka-san, I was out of it myself for a bit. From the looks of it, Negi was taken." Akuro replied. That's when he remembered about the issue he wanted to talk about with Dean Konoe and he turned around saying, "I just remembered, I had something to talk about with the Dean, so could you look for Negi for me Kagurazaka-san?"

Akuro took off before Asuna could say anything about it and Asuna said, "Wait a minute-?! Oh well, might as well start looking…" That's when Asuna ran off, searching for any signs of Negi.

* * *

_Mahora – Dean's office_

Akuro managed to reach Konoemon's office when he heard voices coming from inside. He recognized one as Konoka's and went closer, pressing his ear against the wall. That's when he heard Setsuna say, "Who is this Akari Sakuraba Konoe-sama?"

Inside, both Konoka and Setsuna were standing together facing Konoemon, and he himself felt a bit uncomfortable about the situation. The two had walked in together into his office, with Konoka asking about Akuro. Setsuna was quiet, but she had an inquiring look on her face that, coupled with Konoka's inquiry, made him feel quite uncomfortable.

When Konoka mentioned what Akuro said earlier Konoemon couldn't help but think, 'Being hasty there, aren't we Akuro?' Konoemon tried to explain that part when Setsuna asked the question about Akari Sakuraba. With that he said, "Oho, why doesn't the person in question answer that."

Akuro cringed at how he was caught quite easily. He opened the door and Konoemon said, "Listening in on conversations isn't very lady-like Akari-sensei." A twitch came from Akuro's left eye at that and said, "I came here to talk with you about McDowell-san Dean Konoe, but I see that you're busy." That's when Konoka walked up to him and asked, "Do you really know Kuro-chan Sakuraba-sensei?"

Being called Kuro-chan brought back a few memories for Akuro but he quickly suppressed them and said, "Yes I do Konoka-san." She kept on pressing Akuro asking, "How is he? Is he alright?"

Akuro couldn't help but gulp a bit, and out of the corner of his eye, he could swear he could see Konoemon enjoying him squirm on the spot. He replied, "Akuro's fine Konoka, and I know for a fact that he misses the two of you very much." Akuro looked at Setsuna for a moment and thought that he saw her a bit rattled for a second. Then he said, "I'll tell you a few things later, so will you just wait outside for a bit please?"

Konoka seemed content with that and said happily, "Of course Akari-sensei." With that she left the room, and when the door closed, Konoemon put up a barrier charm around the room, for privacy purposes. That's when Akuro turned to Setsuna and said, "Now, what is your real question Sakurazaki-san?"

Setsuna's eyes narrowed a bit as she asked, "Are you a Shinmei-ryu swordswoman Sakuraba-sensei."

Akuro looked at Konoemon for a second and he nodded, so Akuro sighed and said, "Yes I am Sakurazaki-san." He took out Yatsusuna, careful not to expose Ryuhana, something that would probably lead to more awkward questions, since Ryuhana was well known to anyone practicing the Shinmei-ryu arts. He said, "This is my sword Yatsusuna. I'm sure this is enough proof to convince you, or if that's not enough, we can have a spar tomorrow if you want."

"…Yes, that would be appropriate." Setsuna replied after a moment of thinking. Then she walked out of the office before Akuro could say anything.

As the doors closed Akuro turned to Konoemon and said, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Konoemon looked at him and said, "You need to be careful from now on Akuro, since I'm still trying to get that sentence on you lifted. I managed to tell those two to keep quiet about the situation for now, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Akuro put Yatsusuna away as he said, "I'll be careful from now on. Anyway, I came here to ask you something about McDowell-san. Why didn't you tell me she was a vampire?"

One of Konoemon's eyebrows twitched as he asked, "Oho, it must've slipped my mind. Why do you ask?" Akuro replied, "Well, let's just say something happened last night, and it kind of made her reveal herself."

"…I see. Well, I'm sorry I didn't say anything about it earlier. I didn't think Evangeline would stand out that much…" Konoemon said. Akuro just nodded and said, "Yes, and I suppose not telling me that Konoka and Setsuna were in the same class was a surprise for me, right?" Konoemon just coughed and Akuro turned around to leave the office and said, "As much as I can handle unexpected things, I'd appreciate a heads-up in the future Dean Konoe."

As Akuro closed the door behind him, he found Konoka waiting nearby and her face brightened as she said, "Oh, Akari-sensei you're done!"

"Yeah I am." Akuro looked around and asked, "Sakurazaki-san already left?" Konoka nodded and said in a disappointed tone, "Yeah, Se-chan left, and she didn't even say much to me." Akuro raised his eyebrow at that and said, "Really…well, now that that's done, I'd better go and find out where Negi disappeared to."

"Oh, that reminds me, we're supposed to have a cheer up party for Negi that doubled as your welcoming party Akari-sensei." Akuro didn't want to ask any questions and held his hand out saying, "Please lead the way Konoka-san."

"Sure!" Konoka said, and the two of them made their way through the school, with Konoka asking along the way, "Akari-sensei, could you tell me what Kuro-chan's been doing lately?"

Akuro was a bit slow as he replied, "Uh later, maybe tomorrow Konoka-san, you just need to remind me. I'm kind of tired at the moment so…"

Konoka nodded and said, "Okay Akari-sensei!" With that the two made their way the dorm baths in a hurry for some reason. Akuro thought, 'A cheer-up party? Wonder how that's going to work…'

* * *

_Mahora – dorm baths_

As Akuro and Konoka approached the baths they heard a lot of commotion and suddenly they heard Asuna shout, "What the hell are all of you doing here naked?! And you even brought Negi along?!"

Akuro and Konoka looked at each other before they saw something scurry away, with Akuro catching a glimpse of white. This made him wonder as he and Konoka entered the baths, and the sight nearly caught Akuro off guard.

Negi was in the middle of most of the 3-A girls in the bath pool, with half of them naked. Konoka was mildly surprised at that, while Akuro jaw nearly dropped. He thanked that his discipline thanks to his training kicked in, or else he would've had a nosebleed, which would raise more awkward questions. Negi noticed Akuro and Konoka walk in and saw the look on Akuro's face, while a few others looked like they were busted. All Negi could sputter was, "A-Akari…"

Akuro turned to Konoka and asked, "This was supposed to be a cheer up party?" Konoka had no words as some of the girls quickly scrambled to put back on their bathing suits that were underwater. That's when Akuro smirked and said, "Negi, I think you need to get out now. I wonder what Nekane's reaction would be if she saw a scene like this, hmhmhm."

Negi quickly got out and thanked everyone for the party as he went to the change room to find his clothes. Akuro just turned around and said, "You know, I'm going to forget this ever happened, since it's been a long day and all."

That's when Konoka offered, "Do you want to come to our room for dinner Akari-sensei?" Akuro just nodded and said, "Sure, thanks Konoka-san."

* * *

_Mahora dorms – hallway_

With Konoka staying behind for a quick shower, Negi, Akuro, and Asuna were walking down the hallway, both Akuro and Asuna looking a bit strained as Asuna said, "Ha…another crazy day today…" Akuro agreed with her saying, "No kidding…"

Negi put up a small smile on his face and said, "But thanks to everyone, I've cheered up a little." Asuna looked at him with an 'Eh?' while Akuro just smirked at that, finding it humorous. Suddenly they heard a voice speak that addressed Negi, and they looked around until the voice said, "Down here!"

They looked down and saw an ermine with a swimsuit top in its mouth, and Negi recognized the ermine as it said, "It's me Negi, Albert Chamomile! Long time no see!"

'Oh, now I recognize this ermine…' Akuro thought, as Negi bent down to Chamo with open arms, looking happy to see Chamo. Chamo himself said, "Hehe, looks like you remember me aniki!"

As Akuro just watched the two catch up on old times, and Asuna just freak out at the sight of Chamo talking, he thought, 'If I recall, that ermine has the ability to draw out Patico circles. Ha, it's just one thing after another, isn't it?'


	3. Spar's Worth

Chapter 3 – Spar's Worth

_Mahora dorms – dorm room_

Inside Asuna, Negi, Akuro, and Chamo were inside, with Chamo telling Asuna how the ermine met Negi. After that Chamo turned to Akuro and said, "Whoa, Akuro-nii, I see your using glamour magic again. I must say, you look better than before."

Akuro tilted his head and said in a deadly voice, "Did you say something Chamo?" Chamo shivered a bit and said, "Still the same as usual huh?" Then Chamo turned to Negi and a whole discussion about Patico partners went on.

Halfway through the discussion Asuna turned to Akuro and asked, "Um, Sakuraba-sensei, why did that ermine call you Akuro?" Akuro sighed at that and replied, "I'll tell you later Kagurazaka-san. This isn't the proper place to tell you."

"…I see." Asuna said. That's when Asuna told him, "You know, I don't mind if you call me Asuna you know. Being called Kagurazaka-san all the time kind of feels odd, you know."

Akuro nodded and said, "Okay then, you can call me Akari. I'm not much into formalities anyway." Asuna nodded when Konoka in a bath towel walked in saying, "It sounds pretty lively in here. Do we have another guest?"

Negi freaked out in surprise at that and Akuro quickly turned his gaze away, while Chamo seemed happy to see Konoka. While Negi signaled to Chamo to not talk, Asuna stepped in and said, "N-no, not really. The only guest here is Akari-sensei."

That's when Konoka noticed Chamo and said, "Oh, what's this?!" She picked up Chamo and said happily, "It's so cute! Is this Negi-kun's pet?" Akuro gave a quick look, and saw that Chamo was enjoying himself in Konoka's arms and just rolled his eyes at the scene.

In a flash that even Akuro couldn't tell, Konoka got changed into a white dress and brought Chamo outside shouting, "Hey everyone, take a look at this!" Negi tried to stop her but it was too late as some of the other 3-A students had come out of their rooms and saw Chamo. Negi and Asuna followed Konoka outside while Akuro just sat there, waiting to come back.

A few minutes later, the four plus Chamo were around a table in their room, eating dinner with Akuro saying, "Thank you very much for the food Konoka-san." Konoka just replied, "It's nothing Akari-sensei." She finished eating and said, "Anyway, I was wondering, how did you and Negi-kun meet Kuro-chan?"

Asuna didn't have a clue what Konoka was talking about, while Negi gave Akuro an inquiring glance. Akuro returned it with an 'I'll handle it' look. He replied, "Well, this was about four years ago. You see, the three of us had enrolled in Oxford at the same time, and I guess the three of us stuck together, considering we were considered child geniuses."

That got Asuna's attention and she asked, "Uh, excuse me Akari-sensei, but how old are you?"

Akuro raised an eyebrow at that and replied, "I'm seventeen, why?" Meanwhile he thought, 'So I raised my age by one, it's not a big difference.'

Both Asuna and Konoka had surprised looks on their faces and Konoka said, "Wow, you're only two years older than us? That's amazing!" Akuro couldn't help but tilt his head a bit in confusion and asked, "How old did you think I was?"

Asuna decided to answer that and she replied, "Uh, well, everyone in class thought you were in your early twenties." Akuro couldn't believe what Asuna just said and thought, 'Hmm, I wonder if my glamour is working properly, it shouldn't have made me look that old…' Akuro sighed and said, "It's alright, I guess I understand…"

Little did he know, Kazumi Asakura just happened to pass by their door and overheard most of the conversation. She thought happily to herself, 'Now this sounds like an interesting scoop!' With that she walked away with a grin on her face, while inside the Akuro quickly turned his head towards the door which made Negi asked, "Is something wrong Akari?"

Akuro turned back to them and shook his head saying, "Thought I felt something off just now. Don't worry about it." He finished his dinner and got up saying, "Thank you for the food. Now I need to prepare for tomorrow, so I'll see the three of you in class."

"Uh, I'll walk you to the outside Akari." Negi said, with Akuro giving a nod, as the two of them left the room.

Outside the dorms Akuro turned to Negi and said, "Oh, there's one thing I need you to promise me Negi." Negi nodded and asked, "What is it Akuro?

A sigh came out from Akuro and said, "If anyone finds out about magic, or something like that, you need to promise me that you can't tell any of them who I really am."

Negi was slightly shocked and confused at that and asked, "Why?" Akuro looked into his eyes and said, "I can't say right now, you're better off asking Dean Konoe about it. I'm sure he'll tell you the whole story. Goodnight Negi."

Negi just stood there as he watched Akuro walk off into the night, wondering what he meant by that.

* * *

_Mahora – kendo dojo_

Classes were now over, with nothing really eventful happening, if not counting the time where most of 3-A swarmed Akuro with tons of questions. He learned that Kazumi overheard their conversation last night and was most of it was now known to the whole class, and he thought, 'Damn, how could information spread so fast?'

Now Akuro was being led by Setsuna to the kendo dojo, where they would have their spar. For some reason Akuro couldn't help but feel that Konoka was somehow tailing them, but when he turned around to look, there was no one there. He shook his head and thought, 'Must be my imagination.'

When they reached the kendo dojo, Akuro took off his coat and swords, while Setsuna went over and grabbed two wooden swords in the shape of a katana from a nearby rack. She handed one to Akuro and stepped back a bit. There was no time lost as Setsuna instantly went on the attack, forcing Akuro to instantly block the attack.

As the two swords were locked Akuro said, "How about we make this more interesting Sakurazaki-san?" Setsuna's eyes narrowed a bit as she replied, "How so?"

"No Shinmei-ryu techniques, just plain swordplay. How about it?" Akuro said, giving Setsuna a keen look. She jumped back as she replied, "I accept those terms." Akuro smiled as he went on the offensive and tried to attack Setsuna from the side. She blocked it and pushed the wooden sword away, leaving Akuro quite open.

When Setsuna was about to strike, Akuro quickly jumped back, and barely dodged the attack. Akuro quickly went on the offensive and tried a different approach, attacking the sword in Setsuna's hand with hard blows.

For a minute, Setsuna didn't know what he was up too when she kept on blocking blow after blow. Only when her grip on her sword nearly slipped after one of Akuro's strikes, did she realized what he was up to. Now she started dodging each of Akuro's strikes, and counterattacking when she had the chance.

The spar went on for a few more minutes, and after another clash, the two backed away, panting a bit. Both of them were sporting cut sleeves and Setsuna said, "I see that your skills are great, as expected."

"What, were you expecting something less?" Akuro asked, as he went for another strike, and Setsuna dodged that one. He thought, 'Hmm, looks like she caught on to my strategy, guess it's on to the next one…'

Setsuna went in for a finishing strike and raised her sword, but Akuro sidestepped it and made a striking maneuver with his sword, aimed at hers. It connected to Setsuna's, making it slip out of her hands. Akuro then put the wooden sword to her neck and asked, "Do you yield?"

A sigh came from Setsuna and she replied, "Yes." Akuro lowered his sword and went over to pick up Setsuna's as he said, "That was a great match. I can see that you're quite skilled Sakurazaki-san."

As Akuro handed the wooden swords over to Setsuna she replied, "You are too Sakuraba-sensei." When Setsuna went over to put the swords away, Akuro felt a slight pulse of magic come from somewhere close. He turned around saying, "Sorry to just run Sakurazaki-san, but I just remembered that I had something to do."

"It's fine Sakuraba-sensei." Setsuna replied. Akuro was about to leave when Setsuna called out to him asking, "Um, sensei, do you know how Akuro's doing?"

Akuro looked over his shoulder at Setsuna and replied, "…He's doing fine Sakurazaki-san. He's told me a bit about you and Konoka-san, and I'm sure from what he's told me about the two of you, he misses the two of you very much." With that he picked up his coat and ran out the door, leaving Setsuna by herself.

* * *

_Mahora – behind a school building_

Akuro managed to trace the pulse of magic to behind a school building. What he found was quite the interesting scene; Asuna had a fainted Nodoka in a nice dress on her lap, while Negi and Chamo were hugging each other looking like two long lost siblings who were just reunited. Akuro was silent for a few seconds before he asked, "What happened here?"

Both Negi and Chamo jumped in surprise before Chamo said, "Oh, it's just Akuro-nii. For a moment there I was terrified that it was someone else."

That's when Asuna looked at them and asked, "Akari-sensei, why does Chamo keep calling you Akuro? I thought that person was your friend?"

Akuro slapped his head and said, "Well, might as well just tell you…I hope you can keep this a secret Asuna-san." Negi looked at him and said, "Wait, you can't mean-?!"

Negi was kept silent by a look from Akuro, then he turned to Asuna and said, "You see Asuna, this whole image is just part of my glamour magic. What I'm saying is," This is where Akuro got closer to Asuna and said in a lower voice, "My name is Akuro Sakuragi, and what you see is my disguise using glamour magic."

Asuna looked like she was hit with a hammer as she pointed to him and said, "Wait a minute, so you're actually a-?!"

"Yes, I'm a guy. I'm just pretending to be a female assistant teacher, and Akari Sakuraba is an alias I'm using. I know you have questions, but I can't say anything right now, so please bear with me Asuna-san." Akuro told her.

Asuna just sighed and said, "Great, another weird one…" Akuro just rolled his eyes and said, "I don't like looking like this Asuna-san. It's as I said, I have a reason for looking like this." She turned to Negi for answers, but all Negi did was shake his head, not knowing what was going on.

Then Akuro turned his head to Nodoka and said, "So, what are you guys going to do about her?" Everyone realized that Nodoka was still there in her collapsed state and Akuro found it quite funny how they all started to scramble, putting Nodoka back where she was last. He just shook his head as he made his way back to his hotel room, ready to turn in for the day.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – entrance hall_

The next day, Akuro was waiting in the entrance hall when Negi showed up with Konoka and Asuna. From what Akuro could see, everything seemed normal, while he noticed Negi looking around, and figured, 'Jeez, is Negi still scared?'

That's when Evangeline's voice called out to Negi, "Good morning Negi-sensei." Negi darted around in surprised while Akuro just shook his head and sighed. Evangeline went on to say in a teasing voice, "I guess that you're going to just let me skip class again today…hehe, it's been fun since you became a teacher Negi-sensei."

Akuro could tell that Evangeline was taunting him as Negi shouted, "E-Evangeline-san! Chachamaru-san!"

While Negi reached for his staff on instinct, Akuro slowly walked to the space behind the two, going around the lockers. He heard Evangeline say, "Hey there, do you think you really stand a chance against me? I think it would be better for the both of us if you just behaved yourself while we're in school."

Then Evangeline said something else but Akuro wasn't paying attention, since he was looking at Negi. Then he suddenly ran away with a yelp, with Asuna and Chamo going after him. Evangeline just smirked and turned around, when Akuro walked up to them with her saying, "Oh, I forgot you were there Sakuraba-sensei."

Akuro just smirked and said, "Why am I not surprised? Shouldn't you be heading for class McDowell-san?"

"Hmph, as if I care about class." Evangeline replied, and she was about to walk away when Akuro grabbed her by the shoulder and said, "You know, disobeying teachers isn't very lady-like of you _McDowell-san_." He put a bit of emphasis on Evangeline's name for effect.

"…You know I could just kill you here right here and now Sakuraba-sensei." Evangeline threatened. Akuro just scoffed at that and said, "Do I look like I scare that easily? Negi might be scared of you, but I'm not him, so tough luck."

Akuro forcefully turned Evangeline around and turned to Chachamaru saying, "Let's get going you two." With that he started pushing Evangeline as she struggled against his grip while Chachamaru following behind.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – 3-A classroom_

By the time they reached the 3-A classroom, which they took a different route to avoid Negi, Akuro was still holding Evangeline by her shoulders tightly, and she stopped struggling against his grip. He opened the door and helped her in, which earned a few interested glances from some of the other students. He let go of Evangeline, earning a seething glare from her as she took her seat. Akuro just rolled his eyes and ignored it as he went over and leaned against the wall waiting for Negi and Asuna to show up.

When they did, Negi was shocked to see both Evangeline and Chachamaru in class. He looked over to Akuro who gave him a nod and he went over to the podium to begin class.

As class went on Akuro noticed that Evangeline was busy giving Negi looks that seemed to freak him out. The looks made him nearly lose his focus a few times and Akuro had to step in a few times when Negi nearly lost track of what he was doing. When the bell rang Negi just bowed and said goodbye to the class before darting out of the room in a flash, much to the class' confusion.

Akuro saw the smug look on Evangeline's face and thought, 'This is going to be harder than I thought. Though I have something planned that might get a laugh out of Negi…' With that he said goodbye to the class and left the room with a small smile on his face.

* * *

_Mahora – campus_

After classes were over, Akuro tried finding out where Negi went, since he just darted out of the classroom like his life depended on it. This left him to look for him since there was some class paperwork to be done, which he was holding in a book bag slung over his shoulder. After ten minutes of searching, he gave up thinking, 'He's still a kid, and even I forget that sometimes. Oh well, I just wonder if he'll be alright.'

Akuro just shook his head and made his way over to the teacher's room. On the way, he noticed Takamichi and Evangeline walking together towards the main building. He just sighed and went on his way, passing by a fountain.

Suddenly he stopped, and looked into the water, seeing the reflection of he glamour in the water. Giving the image a smirk, he thought, 'Man, I've gotten used to this glamour image already. Even though I went through the same things Negi and Anya did, they're much better than me when it comes to spells. I might've learned about thirty of them, but I only know about five to seven of them by memory. Some western mage I am, but I feel better being a Shinmei-ryu swordsman instead.'

That's when a voice said behind him, "Sakuraba-sensei?" Akuro nearly jumped and thought, 'Dang it, I shouldn't be spooked so easily like that!' He turned around to find Ayaka Yukihiro standing behind him. A sigh came from Akuro as he said, "Oh, it's just you Yukihiro-san. You kind of startled me there for a moment."

"Oh, I'm sorry sensei, it's just that you seemed like you were just standing in front of the fountain vacantly." Ayaka said. Akuro just smiled and said, "I really shouldn't be doing that, I guess. It's just that things have been quite busy for me ever since I became Negi's assistant teacher."

Ayaka grew interested in how Akuro addressed Negi and asked, "Sensei, how exactly did you meet Negi-sensei? I mean, I heard about it from Asakura, but I want to hear it directly from you."

Akuro eyed Ayaka for a second, seeing the interest in her eyes and thought, 'She really fancies Negi, from the looks of it. Well, I guess it couldn't hurt, though I'll have to tweak the details a bit for secrecy reasons.' He replied, "Sure Yukihiro-san, I have some time to tell."

Ayaka looked very grateful and she said, "Please, call me Ayaka sensei."

The two of them sat down on the fountain's edge and Akuro said, "Then you can call me Akari if you want Ayaka-san." Ayaka just nodded as Akuro went on to tell Ayaka the story that he told Konoka last night, but with a few more details."

About ten minutes later, Akuro finished saying, "That all I know, since we were in the same classes for only the first year. You'll need to ask Akuro about that, since he attended other classes with Negi in the later years." Ayaka looked quite anxious to hear more and asked, "Do you know how I can contact your friend of yours?"

A gulp came from Akuro as he replied, "I'm sorry, but he's currently tied up in very important matters. Don't worry Ayaka-san, once he gets here, I'll be sure to tell him to tell you some of the other stories."

Ayaka seemed to be satisfied with that as she said, "I guess that will be fine. Thank you for sharing your story with me Akari-sensei. It was quite interesting." The two of them got up and said, "It's no problem Ayaka-san. I think I've relaxed enough, so I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Bye Akari-sensei." Ayaka said as Akuro just waved and took off. As he walked Akuro thought, 'Hmm, why do have an odd feeling something's about to happen?'

Then, all of a sudden, Akuro felt an influx of magic again and thought, 'Oh, what now?' He started to run to the source of the magic, tracking it like he always does.

* * *

_Mahora – deserted square_

By the time Akuro reached the source of the magic, all he found was Negi lying on the ground looking like he was hit by a bomb. Asuna and Chamo were beside him, checking to see if he was alright. Akuro couldn't help but say, "This is starting to feel like déjà vu but, what happened here?"

Asuna turned around and Chamo said, "Oh, Akuro-nii, you got to talk some sense into Aniki. He recalled his magic arrows in the face of the enemy!"

"But Chachamaru is my-, I mean, our student!" Negi defended coughing. Akuro couldn't make heads or tails of it as he asked, "What the heck are you two talking about?"

Asuna helped Negi up as she replied, "Here, let me tell you what happened Akari-sensei."

After Asuna explained everything that happened Akuro scratched his head and said, "So that's what happened? Oh my…" Chamo went up to him and said, "You see Akuro-nii, Negi should've blasted her with his magic. It would've helped in the fight against Evangeline."

Akuro shook his head and said, "You know, first off, you need to stop calling me Akuro-nii while I'm in this disguise Chamo. You can say it if it's just me, Negi, and Asuna, but if anyone else happens to find out, call me Akari in front of them."

Chamo just nodded his head at that as Akuro went on, "Secondly, I think Negi did the right thing there. Chachamaru is a student first, and Negi just went with his teacher's instinct. It really doesn't matter if she's a robot or not, teachers attacking students isn't right at this school."

The three of them looked at Akuro like he just grew a second head and he said, "What?!"

Asuna was the first one to speak and said, "Y-you knew that she was a robot?"

"Uh, yeah, wasn't that obvious? I mean, take one look at her and you can tell that she isn't human off the bat." Akuro replied. The three of them still had that look on their faces and he said, "Wait, you mean you guys couldn't tell? Well, now that's just plain weird."

He sighed as Akuro looked at Negi, who still looked like he just came out of a minefield and said, "C'mon, let's take him back to my hotel room. I don't think bringing Negi to the dorms looking like an explosion just went off in his face is a good idea."

That snapped the three out of it and Asuna agreed saying, "Yeah, it would raise one to many questions." Negi just nodded and Chamo climbed up onto Negi's shoulder, and the three were led by Akuro back to his hotel room.

* * *

_Mahora – Akuro's hotel room_

After Negi got washed up, he and Akuro got to work on the papers that Akuro had carried, and it was nearly seven by the time they finished. Asuna was kept entertained by Chamo, who told stories about Negi and Akuro, but was stopped by Akuro when those stories started to get embarrassing. When the work was done, Akuro said goodbye to the three and they left his room, leaving him to clean up.

When all the papers were filed together Akuro collapsed on his bed as he released his glamour. He said to himself, "Whew, already my first week is done. Talk about one thing happening after another. Wonder what Anya or Nekane would say if they saw what was happening here…"

Akuro got up and cast his glamour back on and left the room, going down to get something to eat. Making sure that Yatsusuna and Ryuhana were firmly in place on his back, he left the hotel in search of a restaurant.

Managing to find one, Akuro ordered his food and started eating by himself, thinking of the things that happened over the course of the week. He looked out the nearby window and thought, 'Seeing those two after all this time, I really can't believe that it's been eight years. That would've been a lot less if it hadn't been for that accursed sentence the Kansai Magic Association put on me. The only good thing that came out of it was finishing my Shinmei-ryu training in four years and meeting Negi, Anya, and Nekane.'

Akuro finished his dinner and paid for it before he left. He went back to the hotel to relax, and the only thing that he had to deal with along the way was a few guys that were trying to hit on him. Akuro dealt with them easily and thought, 'Tch, one of the downfalls of this disguise, something I hate to deal with…' Another sigh came from Akuro as he went back to the hotel.


	4. Teaching Lessons

Chapter 4 – Teaching Lessons

_Mahora dorms – Asuna and Konoka's room_

The next morning, Akuro was called by Chamo to meet up with him, Negi, and Asuna. Arriving at the dorms in casual wear, which consisted of black jeans and a loose brown sweater with a white t-shirt underneath, he arrived at the door and knocked. Asuna opened it and she let him in as he heard Chamo shout, "Why on earth did you show mercy to that robot Chachamaru, Aniki?!"

Chamo shouted some other things but Akuro didn't pay any attention as he sat down at the table with Asuna and Negi. Chamo was on top of the table, trying to convince Negi that both Evangeline and Chachamaru were the enemy. Akuro just sat down while Negi greeted him with a nod, when he heard Chamo say, "Take a look at this! I did some research on last night…"

Chamo opened the mini laptop that was on the table and typed in a few things. A moment later a wanted poster of Evangeline showed up on screen. As Chamo explained it to Asuna, Akuro took a closer look and thought, 'Wow, I didn't know this…though this does raise some more questions…'

Then Akuro heard Chamo say, "For the meantime, it'd be better if Aniki stays out of the dorms for now." Akuro raised an eyebrow at that while Asuna said, "Hmm…You could be right. Today's a holiday, and there are a lot of people here…"

Akuro noticed Negi acting funny and he tried reaching out to him saying "Uh, Negi…?" Suddenly he grabbed his jacket and staff, and he flew out the window crying. In an instant the three went to the window calling Negi's name. Then Asuna and Chamo turned against each other before Asuna ran out the door shouting, "A-anyway, I'm going after him!" Chamo rushed after her shouting, "I'm with you!"

This left Akuro all by himself in the room as he said to himself, "Makes me wonder why on earth they called me here in the first place." He shook his head and walked over to the door, went through it and closed the door behind him.

As he walked down the hallway a voice called out to him, "Sakuraba-sensei!" Akuro whipped around only to see Kazumi Asakura walking down the hallway towards him. He looked at her and said, "Oh, Asakura-san, something the matter?"

Kazumi walked up to him with a camera in her hand asking, "If you don't mind, could you please answer a few questions for me?"

Akuro thought about it, 'Hmm, I don't have anything else to do today…' He looked at her with a smile and replied, "Sure, why not?"

Kazumi looked absolutely pleased at that and said, "Well, let's head over to one of the cafés on campus and we can talk there." Akuro nodded and Kazumi led the way, with Akuro thinking, 'I can't say much, but I hope she doesn't dig too deep into things…'

* * *

_Mahora – café_

Once they were at a café of their choice and the two ordered something to drink, Kazumi started asking Akuro questions. They started off simple enough and Akuro managed to answer them without much difficulty. Then it started to get deeper and Akuro had tried quite hard to steer away from them, with one of the questions being a dating question between him and 'Akari'.

"Simply put, the two of us are really just friends." Akuro replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Kazumi tried to press a bit further, but the look Akuro gave her pretty much forced her to give up for now.

The two sipped their drinks as Akuro thought, 'Man, I'm getting way too much into this disguise. I guess that's what happens when I'm in it for too long…' He finished his drink and put down the cup saying, "You know, I don't mind if you call me Akari. We're only a few years apart you know."

"Sure, I don't mind." Kazumi said. Then Akuro asked, "You don't mind if I call you Kazumi then?"

Kazumi was taken a back a bit and Akuro asked, "Is something wrong?" She shook her head and replied, "No, it's not that. It's just that I'm used to people calling me Asakura for a while now, that it kind of caught me off guard."

Akuro looked at her for a moment before he said, "Well, if you want, should I call you Asakura instead?" Kazumi shook her head and replied, "No, I'm fine with it."

Seeing Kazumi look a bit flustered, Akuro decided to ask, "Since I told you a bit about myself, tell me a bit about yourself." Kazumi seemed taken aback a bit and Akuro added, "Nothing personal, like your history, just about your hobbies, or something of the sort."

Kazumi then gave it some thought, then she replied, "Hmm, I guess one thing that I can say is that I've had an interest in journalism ever since I entered the middle school section of Mahora."

That seemed to pique Akuro's interest and he asked, "How did that come about?"

Kazumi started to think back as she replied, "Let's see, I guess it was when I read a certain paper back before I started middle school. There was a certain story that caught my attention and when I read it, I guess it moved me and I started to get interested in journalism. I joined the Journalism club after I started middle school and I guess the rest is history after that."

"Wow, that's quite the story." Akuro said, quite impressed by Kazumi's story. That's when he got up and said, "Well, it was nice talking to you Kazumi-san, but I have to go now. There's some work that has to be done and Negi's…busy at the moment."

The pause in Akuro's sentence made Kazumi quite curious but she let it go for now saying, "I see, well thank you very much for your time Akari-sensei. It was quite interesting to hear a bit about yourself and Negi-sensei too."

"Yes, so I'll see you tomorrow in class Kazumi-san." Akuro said. He left the café and headed back to the Academy so he could start working on going over the class assignments that had been collected. Looking up into the sky, all he hoped was that Negi would come back in one piece from whatever he was going.

* * *

_Mahora – Akuro's hotel room_

A few days later, Akuro was sleeping in his bed in the early hours in the morning. Suddenly there was a knocking sound on his hotel door and that woke Akuro up, though it made him a bit grumpy. Still a bit groggy, he managed to cast a spell that softened his voice to 'Akari's' and asked, "Who is it?"

From behind the door he heard Negi reply, "It's me Negi!" Sighing, Akuro got up and went over to the door asking, "Are you by yourself Negi?"

On the other side, Negi replied, "Yes, I am."

Lifting the spell off of himself, Akuro opened the door and let Negi in. Looking at him through sleepy eyes he saw that Negi looked quite excited for some reason. Turning to the clock by his bed, he saw that it was only 5:30 AM, which was quite early in Akuro's opinion.

Feeling a bit irritated, Akuro said, "Ugh, why did you have to wake me up so early Negi? I wanted to get at least a half-an-hour more of sleep you know!"

"Sorry Akuro, but this couldn't wait!" Negi replied happily. Sensing the more than usual enthusiasm, Akuro asked, "What are you so excited about Negi?"

Negi held up a letter that said 'letter of challenge' on it as he replied, "I'm going to go to Evangeline-san to challenge her to a rematch. Hopefully this will resolve everything!"

Akuro looked at Negi like he just grew a second head for a second. Then he sighed and said, "Are you serious about that Negi? I mean, she is a vampire and all…"

"I did think about it for a while Akuro, and this should be the best way to settle things." Negi said with confidence.

Thinking about it for a bit, Akuro just shook his head and thought, 'Might as well let him do what he wants. Maybe he'll learn something from it.'

With that, he got up and prepared to get dressed, while he talked to Negi about the lesson plans for today. After getting changed and having a quick breakfast, Akuro motioned to Negi that they were leaving and Akuro cast the glamour on himself before they set out.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – 3-A Classroom_

Making their way to their class, Akuro and Negi were walking past the students, giving out greetings. Actually, it was Negi rushing to class, with Akuro trying to keep up with him. He thought, 'Phew, that Negi's charging way too headlong into this. He may be smart at times, but at others, he can be just plain stupid…'

Akuro thought back to when he had his practice time between six and eight earlier, and the two of them had a talk about how Negi was going to pull this off. He was a bit skeptical, since beings like Evangeline didn't uphold much honor in fights and other things. He sighed as he walked towards class, mentally preparing himself for a new day.

When Akuro got there after taking a detour however, he found most of the class already seated, but Negi was already gone. He looked around and asked, "Where's Negi-sensei everyone?"

Ayaka was the one to answer that saying, "Um, Negi-sensei was here earlier, but he ran off looking for McDowell-san."

Slapping his forehead, Akuro said, "If that's the case, then I'll have to take over teaching the class." He walked up to the podium desk and started teaching the class while taking out the materials that he had with him thinking, 'Thank goodness that I was the one carrying them…'

Halfway through the lesson, Akuro noticed something out of the window and Kazumi noticed the look on his face asking, "Sensei, something wrong?"

Snapping back to the class, Akuro replied, "No, it's nothing. Probably just seeing things." As Akuro went back to teaching the class, he kept an eye on the windows, and sure enough, he saw a small glowing ball of light just outside.

Akuro couldn't feel any threat from it and in an instant, the ball vanished, making him wonder what that ball was all about. Looking at the class, he could see that Setsuna and Mana both happened to have noticed it by the way they were looking at the windows, and Mana looked like she was about to pull out something.

When he started handing out the assignments, Akuro looked towards the door and thought, 'Where the heck is Negi? Even if he was looking for her, it shouldn't take that long…'

Deciding to interrupt the class for a moment, Akuro asked, "Sorry for the interruption, but I forgot to ask: why did Negi-sensei go off looking for McDowell-san?"

"Oh, it's because Evangeline-san has the flu, and Negi-sensei seemed concerned when I told him that." Ako replied. Akuro raised an eyebrow as he thought, 'The flu? That's weird, I thought vampires don't get sick from human sicknesses…hmm, there must be a reason I guess.'

Shaking off that thought, he continued to teach until the next class started. After all the classes were finished, Akuro couldn't help but sigh as he wiped a bit of sweat off of his forehead thinking, 'Wow, got to give Negi some props on his teaching ability. Going though all those classes were tough for the first time.'

* * *

_Mahora Academy – campus_

Outside, Akuro was looking around until he came across a rather beaten-looking Negi, who was walking across the campus in a daze. The irritation came back to him as he walked over to Negi shouting, "Hey Negi, over here!"

Looking towards the shout, Negi saw Akuro walking towards him and said, "Oh Akari, what are you doing here?"

"Classes are pretty much over, you know." Akuro said in a matter-of-fact tone. That made Negi realize what he was talking about and said in a panic, "Oh, I so sorry Akuro! I didn't mean to leave the class unattended. It's just that Evangeline-san had the flu, so when I went over to her place to challenge her, I had to take care of her for a moment when Chachamaru-san had to go out to get some medicine for her!"

"…That answers one thing, but I don't think it took most of the school day just to take care of McDowell-san for just a 'moment'." Akuro said, eyeing him suspiciously. Negi gulped and Akuro saw that he was hesitant in answering, so he pressed on, "Does it have to do with you looking like you were chewed out Negi?"

Reluctantly, Negi told him, "Actually, while I was taking care of Evangeline-san, she was sleeping, and she was dreaming about my father. So I sort of used magic to take a look…"

Akuro couldn't help but laugh slightly at that and said, "Let me take a guess. She found out and decided to give you a suitable 'punishment' despite her condition?"

"…You could call it that." Negi said sheepishly. Akuro just sighed and said, "Oh well, at least you're still in one piece. By the way, you need to head to the staff room, there's some things that you need to look over personally."

Negi nodded and said, "Alright Ak-ari, I'll see you later."

Akuro just nodded as he watched Negi run up to the Academy building and go inside. Now he was all alone and for some reason, Akuro had a feeling that he should take out Yatsusuna. When he did, a killing intent suddenly appeared from the side and instinctively unsheathed the nodachi, blocking the sudden attack.

Taking a look, he saw that his assailant attacked him with a katana and wore a hooded white robe and a faceless white mask. From the person's build, he guessed that it was a man as he held his ground. The two of them broke apart and Akuro held Yatsusuna in a stance as he said, "Who the heck are you?!"

"…" The masked assailant didn't say anything as he went in for another attack. Akuro dodged that one and Akuro attempted to disarm the man, but he was too quick and pulled back a few feet.

Suddenly, the masked assailant said in what sounded like a filtered voice, "In a few days, come to the World Tree when the lights go out."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" Akuro snapped. He was about to go for another attack when he heard a voice shout, "Sakuraba-sensei!"

Surprised, Akuro looked and saw Setsuna heading towards them with Yunagi drawn. The assailant took that chance to try and attack, but Akuro blocked it shouting, "Sakurazaki-san, stay back!"

Setsuna came to an abrupt halt as Akuro fought back against the assailant. Seeing Akuro fight against the assailant, Setsuna was a bit amazed by 'Akari's' swordsmanship, thought she could tell it was only better than hers by a level or two.

Meanwhile, Akuro had a strange feeling about the assailant for a while now, and he had trouble pinpointing it until it suddenly came to him. It made him push himself to the edge and pulled off a tricky maneuver, which ended with Akuro slicing right through his opponent.

A look of shock appeared on Setsuna's face for a second before the assailant exploded in a puff of smoke. Akuro covered his face as the smoke cleared, revealing a piece of paper in the shape of a person sliced in half. Going over to it, he picked it up while saying, "Tch, a shikigami, and an advanced one at that, for it to have a human appearance."

Sheathing Yatsusuna, Akuro turned to Setsuna and said, "You better put away your sword Sakurazaki-san, before anyone comes along and sees."

Snapping back out of her thoughts, Setsuna looked a tiny bit flustered as she sheathed Yunagi and put it back under its cloth. Akuro did the same as Setsuna asked, "Are you alright Sensei?"

"Yeah, just a bit surprised, that's all." Akuro replied. Looking around for anymore potential threats, he asked, "When did you get here Sakurazaki-san?"

"I was just exiting the school building when I saw you fighting that shikigami." Setsuna replied.

Akuro gave a sigh and said, "Well anyway, thank you very much for trying to help Sakurazaki-san, and please keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I take it that you saw that orb of light outside the classroom earlier?"

"Yes I did, and I'll keep a lookout for anything suspicious." Setsuna told him. Akuro nodded and said, "Well then, I'll see you tomorrow Sakurazaki-san. Oh, and please keep what had happened here a secret for now. I don't want to trouble the Dean with this unless it somehow becomes a bigger problem."

"Of course, and good bye sensei." Setsuna replied as Akuro walked off. She couldn't help but think, 'There's something familiar about that Akari Sakuraba, but I just can't say what though… Maybe it's because he's friends with Kuro-chan…'

Meanwhile, Akuro was busy thinking to himself, about what the shikigami told him. He thought, 'The World Tree when the lights go out? Why would anybody want to see me there, much less attack me…unless…'

Not wanting to think about it, Akuro just kept on walking around the campus in thought, until he hit Chao Bao Zi, and decided to have dinner there, thinking of trying the place out.

When he reached the counter of the mobile restaurant, Akuro was greeted by Satsuki Yotsuba and she asked, "Ah, Sakuraba-sensei, this is a pleasant surprise! What will you like to order?"

"Ah, I'll have a bowl of pork ramen Yotsuba-san." Akuro replied. Satsuki nodded and she went off to prepare some. As he waited, he remembered hearing that Satsuki worked at this establishment; along with a few others that Akuro couldn't name at the moment, and thought that it was quite remarkable in his opinion.

When Satsuki came back with Akuro's order, she said, "Here you go sensei." Akuro took it and said, "Thank you Yotsuba-san."

Satsuki nodded when someone else came along and wanted to order something, so Akuro was left by himself as he ate his ramen. While he ate, his thoughts went back to what had happened with the shikigami assailant and his eyes narrowed as he thought, 'The only reason that I would be attacked would be if someone from one of the Associations found out who I was. Tch, I'll deal with this myself, since I don't want to give Dean Konoe anymore trouble then there is, especially with McDowell-san.'

Akuro gave a sigh as he continued to eat his dinner. Halfway through, Satsuki went up to him and asked, "Is everything alright Sakuraba-sensei? You look a bit down."

"I'm fine Yotsuba-san, just a bit preoccupied." Akuro replied with a sigh. Satsuki nodded and said, "Tough for your first week Sensei?"

"…You could say that." Akuro replied with a small smile. Satsuki gave another nod and said, "I know that you can pull through. You're as tough as Negi-sensei, so I'm sure that you can overcome your own problems."

Akuro raised an eyebrow at that slightly as he finished off his ramen. Then he got up and said, "Well, thank you for the food, and I'll see you in class tomorrow Yotsuba-san."

"Bye Sensei!" Satsuki replied, before going over to take another order from another customer. As Akuro left, he thought, 'I guess that settles it. I'll go and meet this unknown in a few days at the World Tree, and I'll show whoever it is that I won't be pushed around anymore!'

As he walked back to his apartment, Akuro was again hit on by a number of guys and took care of it appropriately. Akuro thought, 'Argh, I just wish that Dean Konoe can lift the sentence soon! Being hit on by guys is just plain wrong!'

* * *

_Mahora – rooftops_

On top of the rooftops, the unknown assailant was busy watching Akuro from a distance and just saw him take out the guys that were hitting on him. The assailant laughed and said, "Ha ha, at least the guy's still straight at the very least. When Master told me about this, I wouldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes…'

Watching Akuro head back to the hotel, the assailant thought, 'Well now, even with that trick of yours, you can't fool me Akuro Sakuragi…hmm?'

The assailant turned around to find Setsuna standing behind him, with Yunagi drawn. Setsuna asked, "Who are you, and why did you attack Akari Sakuraba-sensei?"

'Akari Sakuraba? So that's what he's been going as…' Then the assailant reached for his katana asking, "Who wants to know?"

That wasn't the answer Setsuna wanted, so she pressed on, edging a bit closer, "Then are you Shinmei-ryu?! I recognized your fighting style when you attacked Sakuraba-sensei."

"Hmph, so what if I was? It's not like I'm going to go after Lady Konoe, so you really shouldn't get yourself involved." The assailant told her. Setsuna, to say the least, wasn't surprised that the assailant knew about her arrangement if he was Shinmei-ryu.

Then the assailant let go of his katana and said, "Honestly, my only target is Akari Sakuraba, so little miss half-demon should really keep her nose out of it."

Setsuna grew angry at the half-demon comment, but what nearly set her off was when the assailant said, "I do really wonder who's worse however, you or that Akuro Sakuragi. The half-demon or the human freak…"

"Don't you dare say that!" Setsuna spat, getting ready to lunge at the assailant. Then the assailant said, "My, did I hit a nerve? Oh well, I better get going, before anyone else notices."

"Wait!" Setsuna shouted, but the assailant threw down a smoke bomb, and when it cleared, the assailant was nowhere in sight. Sheathing Yunagi, Setsuna thought, 'That person was definitely Shinmei-ryu, but why would Sakuraba-sensei be targeted?'

* * *

Note: Okay, I've read the few reviews I got and I can understand all the repetitiveness of OC fics, which is why I haven't updated this in a while, among other things. Just to clear up something, this story will follow the manga storyline entirely, so I won't mix anything from the anime.


	5. Test and Tested

Chapter 5 – Test and Tested

_Mahora Academy – 3A Classroom_

A few days later, Akuro was walking to class with Negi, and he was on high alert for any signs of the assailant. Negi noticed it for a while now as they were walking and asked, "Um, Akari? Is everything alright?"

Akuro replied in an unusually calm manner, "I'm fine Negi, just a bit distracted…"

'Sounds more than just a distraction…' Negi thought to himself. However, he didn't press it any further, since he knew that Akuro was capable of taking care of himself. Then his thoughts turned to other matters thinking, 'Anyway, I wonder if Evangeline-san's recovered from the flu yet…'

Entering the classroom, the class did their morning greeting, while Akuro went over to the corner to look out the window. At the same time Negi greeted the class and was about to begin English class when he noticed Evangeline sitting in her seat and promptly freaked out.

Watching the whole thing, Akuro couldn't help but think sarcastically, 'Wow, how subtle Negi…'

Akuro just smirked and looked out the window thinking, 'It's been a few days now, and there's still no sign of that assailant. Now that I think about it, that person did seem familiar for some reason, but I can't put my finger on it…'

Negi was in high spirits, due to Evangeline attending, while half the class noticed that Akuro looked like he was in deep thought. It made Ayaka ask in the middle of the lecture, "Excuse me, Akari-sensei? Is something wrong?"

Everyone else looked at him, including Negi as Akuro replied, "No, nothing's wrong. Just a bit preoccupied, that's all…"

"If you say so sensei…" Ayaka said. Despite Akuro's answer, half of the class, as well as Negi, were still a bit concerned about the assistant teacher. And out of all of them, the only one that had a clue what Akuro was concerned about was Setsuna.

Suddenly, the door slightly opened that it didn't make a sound, and an arrow flew in, shot straight towards Akuro. He managed to dodge it just in time, and it hit the wall which surprised the heck out of the class. However, the arrow did graze his cheek, making a shallow cut and it started to bleed.

The sudden arrow shot caused quite the uproar in the class, and Negi tried to calm everyone down with Akuro adding, "It's alright girls, just a small cut."

Looking at the arrow, Akuro saw that there was a piece of paper tied to it, so he took it off before pulling out the arrow, putting the paper quickly into his pocket. Then he headed for the door saying, "I'm going to get this cut treated, so I'll see you later Negi-sensei."

"Um, okay…" Negi said, still a bit shocked by the whole thing. Then he was about to leave when Ako got up saying, "Let me accompany you Akari-sensei."

Akuro shook his head saying, "It's alright Izumi-san, it's not that serious. I'll be alright by myself."

Ako nodded and sat down, while Akuro left the classroom with his free hand covering the cut. During the whole scene, Evangeline perked up a bit at the sight of blood. Still having a nose for blood, she thought, 'Hmm, that Shinmei-ryu woman blood smelled really delicious for some reason just now…'

Onto another student, Setsuna knew what that arrow was really for, but she thought, 'That's strange, I didn't feel any presence from that shot. If it was that assailant, then whoever it is must be quite the master, or is a specialist…'

Setsuna looked over to Konoka for a second before she thought, 'I don't think that the assailant will go after Ojou-sama, but it makes me wonder why Sakuraba-sensei's being targeted. I wonder if it's connected to Kuro-chan though. I have only heard a few things in passing, yet even those were vague… Ha, I really don't know what he's been doing ever since he left Kyoto eight years ago…'

* * *

_Mahora grounds – campus_

After treating the cut, Akuro read the message that was attached to the arrow, and what it said worried him a bit as he narrowed his eyes. After that he went back to classes and things went on as normal, though Akuro was now more alert from what Negi had noticed.

When classes were over Asuna caught up to Akuro and Negi, with the first thing she said being, "What the heck was up with that arrow Akari-sensei?!"

"I'd like to know that too Akari." Negi said. Akuro sighed and told them, "I didn't want to say anything, but after what happened…"

Then Akuro sighed and explained, "I was attacked by an assailant a few days ago for some reason, and now from the message that the person 'sent' me, I'm going to go and confront this person at the World Tree later tonight."

Both Negi and Asuna were surprised to say the least and Negi said, "Did you tell the Dean about this?"

Shaking his head, Akuro told them, "No, this is most likely a Shinmei-ryu issue, and it's better that I take care of it myself."

Negi seemed to understand a bit, though both him and Asuna were confused by the term that Akuro used as Asuna asked, "Shinmei-ryu? What's that?"

"It's a type of sword art, and it pretty much involves demon slaying." Akuro explained in a matter-of-fact tone. Asuna didn't get it but she just nodded as the three of them walked together. Negi wondered about that too, since in all the time that he knew Akuro, he never mentioned anything like that, and thought that Yatsusuna and Ryuhana were from his kendo hobby from what Akuro had told him.

As they walked, the three of them passed a stand selling something and it had a lot of students around it. The three of them approached the students with Negi asking, "What's going on?"

The two closest ones, Haruna and Nodoka, turned as Haruna said, "Ah, Negi-sensei, Akari-sensei, and Asuna…"

Then Haruna explained, "Don't you know sensei? There's going to be a simultaneous blackout tonight from eight to twelve." Yue added, "It's done for maintenance purposes twice every year here in the academy district."

"Oh, really? I think they may have mentioned something like that at the teacher's staff meeting. Isn't that right Akari?" Negi said, turning to Akuro.

"I think I remember hearing something of the sort." Akuro said truthfully. He mentally added, 'And I bet the mystery assailant will be waiting for me at the World Tree at that time. Grr, damn that person, threatening to take some of the 3A students hostage if I didn't show…'

That's when a number of the other students passed by and they heard a conversation between Madoka, Sakurako, and Misa, with Madoka saying, "It looks like the weather's going to get worse too. It's a bit scary, isn't it?"

"Really? I think it's exciting! I'm looking forward to it!" Sakurako said with a wink.

"All of the elevators and street lights will be off. None of the students are allowed outside." Misa added.

Akuro couldn't help but give a small sigh and thought, 'Well, at least no students will be out tonight. It'll make things much easier.'

Shizuna then came by and said, "Negi-sensei, Akari-sensei! We're going to leave the dorms up to the two of you, all right?"

"Ah, yes!" Negi answered for the both of them. Then he turned to Asuna and Konoka and said, "Well then, me and Akari are going to have a look around."

"Okay!" Konoka said, giving a wave. Asuna added, "Give it your best you two!" before the two of them walked off together. Then Negi turned to Akuro and said, "Well, is there anything else about this assailant you know about?"

Akuro shook his head and replied, "Not much, except that I'm going to go confront the person at the base of the World Tree around ten later tonight."

Noticing the look of worry on Negi's face, Akuro gave Negi a smile and thumbs up saying, "Don't worry about a thing Negi, I'm not planning on dying. I have a promise to keep, and I can't fulfill it if I'm dead now."

That seemed to ease Negi as Akuro patted Negi on the back and said, "Just to let you know, you should watch your back involving McDowell-san. It does look like she's changed from what I saw earlier, but I'm not really sure, just call it a feeling. Anyway, I'll see you later Negi."

Walking off in another direction, Negi wondered what was going on within his friend's mind, and wondered if taking on a girl's form addled his brains or whatnot. Chamo seemed to voice that particular thought by popping out and saying, "That guy sure tries to act cool, but I think being in disguise for so long is doing something to him."

"I don't think so," Negi argued, "He's probably just worried about whatever's going on with this whole assailant thing. Akuro must have a lot on his mind."

Chamo just coughed and said, "Well, I know that Akuro-nii can at least take care of himself. I mean, you saw what he did against those stray demons that tried to attack the three of you during your Academy days…"

"I remember that, it was sure shocking though…" Negi said, thinking back to that time as he walked off towards the dorms.

Meanwhile, Akuro was walking by himself when he ran into Setsuna. She went up to him asking, "Was that arrow from the assailant Sakuraba-sensei?"

"Pretty much," Akuro replied, "It said for me to come alone to the base of the World Tree when the blackout starts."

"…Should I come with you just in case sensei?" Setsuna asked, despite Akuro telling her that he was supposed to go alone. He shook his head saying, "No, you stay by Konoka-san just in case, since you're her protector. I can handle this assailant on my own."

Setsuna was about to argue, but a look in Akuro's eye silenced her, and it made her think about him in the past. She said, "…Alright sensei, and do come back alive."

"I know." Akuro said with a smirk before he walked off, leaving Setsuna to look at him before she too made her way back to the dorms.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – Rooftops_

Evangeline and Chachamaru were on the roof of the academy, discussing their plan for later during the blackout. After Chachamaru informed Evangeline of Negi's Pactio with Asuna, she asked, "Master, what about Akari Sakuraba? She may help Negi-sensei during the blackout."

Shaking her head, Evangeline said, "It really doesn't matter if the Shinmei-ryu swordswoman helps the boy or not. It's not like she'll have any chance against me when my full powers return."

Then she pondered about something and said, "Although, I can't help but feel that there's just something off about her. And her blood, it smelled quite delicious for some reason, like a fine wine that must be drunk. Fufu, maybe after I deal with the boy, I'll make her my slave somehow…"

Chachamaru just stood there silently, listening to Evangeline talk, until she tried to fly and forgot she was in a human state, landing face first down on the roof. She cursed her state and the Springfields, while Chachamaru tended to Evangeline's nosebleed.

* * *

_Mahora – World Tree_

After the blackout had begun, Akuro and Negi had started to patrol around the dorms for an hour, until Akuro had to split and head for the World Tree to confront the assailant. Negi wished him luck, and Akuro told him to be careful, since he felt something magically weird gong on, with Chamo agreeing with him.

When he reached the base square, Akuro found the area to be eerie quiet, until a voice shouted, "Glad to see that you could make it Sakuraba-san!"

Whipping around towards the source of the voice, Akuro saw the assailant standing not far from him, and Akuro shouted, "Who the heck are you?!"

The assailant laughed and said, "You don't recognize me, A-ku-ro?"

Akuro nearly froze at the sound of his name, and that the assailant knew his real identity already. That's when the assailant said, "Don't worry, I've put a barrier around this place, so no one will hear us. By the way, nice disguise Akuro, though I must admit, why a girl?"

"…Who are you?" Akuro asked, a bit miffed that the assailant was acting all friendly with him out of the blue. The assailant said, "What? You don't remember me? It's only been four years since then Akuro!"

The assailant removed his mask and hood, revealing a young man with short dark red hair and blue eyes, as well as a few scars under his chin. Akuro recognized the face and was shocked as he said, "What the-?! You're the assailant Yenta?!"

"Took you long enough." Yenta Asakura said to him, "So, you've been taking care of my cousin alright?"

Akuro was confused by that for a second before he remembered Kazumi's name and asked, "Kazumi Asakura is your cousin?"

"That's right, but I'm not here to talk about old times or my family." Yenta said, "I'm here because of the order from Master Yojiro."

"…And what would that be?" Akuro asked, getting into a battle stance.

"That you're supposed to be eliminated and to bring Ryuhana back to him." Yenta said simply. Akuro couldn't believe that and said, "That's a lie, Master Yojiro wouldn't order something like that!"

Yenta just shrugged and said, "I don't know what goes on through Master's head these days, but I heard that pressured to do it by a number of individuals…"

That got Akuro suspicious as he drew Yatsusuna and held it in a stance saying, "Well, if your orders were that, then I won't go down without a fight!"

"Hahaha, that's what I'd expect to hear from you Akuro!" Yenta shouted as he unsheathed his own sword, a katana, and held it in a battle stance. That's when they felt a magic pulse and Yenta said, "Hmm, so it looks like the vampire's out tonight huh…?"

Akuro took that chance to deal the first blow by swinging Yatsusuna downwards, and Yenta dodged it in time. Then he unsheathed his katana and went for a counterattack, which Akuro blocked.

In the deadlock, Yenta commented, "Looks like you're really slipping Akuro! Seems like Master Yojiro's choice to send you to that western magic school in Britain to improve relations was a bad choice!"

Pushing Yenta back, Akuro shouted, "Don't be so quick to judge Yenta! I'm just getting started! Shinmei-ryu secret technique, Zanganken!"

Managing to barely dodge the technique, Akuro thought he saw Yenta gulp at that as he instantly went back on the offensive, but he was forced to pull back when Akuro pulled off a Zankusho technique with a knife he had hidden under his sleeve. It missed, only cutting Yenta's sleeve, but that gave enough for pause as Akuro made another pass of attacks, forcing Yenta onto the defensive.

After an hour passed, Akuro and Yenta were breathing heavily, having various cuts all over their bodies, none of them life threatening. As for the state at the base of the World Tree, it was much worse, since both of them used Shinmei-ryu techniques that pretty much tore up the landscape. Akuro was about to go for another round when all of a sudden, Yenta held up his hand and said, "Wait, I give Akuro, so hold it!"

Akuro suddenly stopped in the middle of a slash as he asked, "What the heck does that mean?!"

Jumping back at that instant, Yenta got up and said, "Sorry about that man, but my mission was just to test you due to Master Yojiro's orders. All that other stuff was just to get you riled up so you would fight to the fullest, and I gotta say, you really have improved yourself."

"Mind explaining what's going on here then?!" Akuro asked, looking annoyed by the turn of events.

Around the same time, Setsuna was making her way to the World Tree, worried about 'Akari'. She knew that he said that he could take care of it, but for some reason, she couldn't help but feel worried that something was going to happen. That was when she suddenly slammed into what felt like a barrier to her on her way to the World Tree's base.

Shaking her head, Setsuna pressed her hands at the barrier, and found that it was one that she recognized thinking, 'This is a high level barrier technique, and for it to enclose the World Tree's base, the person must be an expert. This just makes me worry more…'

Back to Akuro and Yenta, everything was explained to Akuro in simple terms, being that on the pretense of being an assailant, Yenta was supposed to test Akuro to see if he was up to snuff on his Shinmei-ryu skills. Akuro was informed that his skills were satisfactory, especially since he had been going all out. That's when Yenta said, "That's interesting, there's someone at the barrier, and they're trying to break it…"

'That can't be Setsuna, could it…?' Akuro thought to himself. Then he spoke up, "Does the Kansai Magic Association know that I'm here?"

"Nope, and neither does most of the Kanto Magic Association either," Yenta replied, "Dean Konoe-sama here knows how to hide information well. Oh, and by the way, he knows that I'm here on orders from our Master, just to let you know."

Suddenly, the streetlights started to turn back on around them, making Yenta put on his hood and mask saying, "Why are the lights turning back on?"

"Looks like the blackout's ending earlier than expected…" Akuro said. At the same time, he felt the large amount of magical energy from earlier starting to disappear, making him wonder what it was. He said, "Well, better get out of here. Give Master my regards, will ya?"

"Sure thing Akuro." Yenta said as the two sheathed their swords and bolted off in different directions, with Akuro heading for the suspension bridge, where he felt the last strong pulse of magic. Yenta pulled out a charm at the same time and whispered something, making the barrier around the area fall.

Setsuna was busy trying to break through the barrier when it suddenly shattered, surprising her. However, she kept on going until she came across the battlefield, and was shocked at what she found.

The place had various gashes from sword techniques that both battlers used, making the place look like a war had just taken place. Looking around for any signs of the assistant teacher, all she found was more damages to the area, but no bodies, and very little blood on top of that. She sighed saying, "Well, it looks like Sakuraba-sensei managed to fend off the assailant, but what the heck happened here?"

* * *

_Mahora – suspension bridge_

By the time Akuro got to the suspension bridge, he found Negi, Asuna, Evangeline, and Chachamaru walking together, and what looked like Evangeline shouting at Negi. Walking towards them he shouted, "Hey everybody, what's going on!"

Looking right at him, the four of them had mixed reactions, though none of them were negative. That's when Negi bragged, "Look Akari! I beat Evangeline-san and I got her to behave from now on!"

Akuro couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as Evangeline shouted, "You only won because the blackout ended earlier than it was supposed to, that's all!"

"…What exactly happened here anyway?" Akuro asked, looking a bit puzzled.

Negi was about to reply when everyone finally noticed how banged up Akuro looked after his fight with Yenta. Evangeline's nose perked up from the blood that was dripping from Akuro's cuts, while Negi said, "Ah, why didn't you heal yourself up before you got here Akari?"

"Uh, well, I was in a rush to get over here, since I felt that the fighting ended when the lights came back on." Akuro told him. Meanwhile, Evangeline was slowly walking forward, acting like she was in a trance, making Chachamaru ask, "Master?"

Finding Evangeline in front of him, Akuro looked down and asked, "Uh, McDowell-san? Is something the matter?"

Suddenly Evangeline reached out and grabbed Akuro's collar, and yanked him down so that they were face to face. This surprised everyone as Akuro asked, "What are you doing McDowell-san?"

That's when Evangeline licked the blood that had formed around Akuro's cut on his face, shocking everyone as she let go of him saying, "Mmmph, that tasted just amazing… It's like drinking a fine, yet addicting wine…"

Having a horrified look on his face, Akuro asked with shock, "W-wh-what the heck McDowell-san?!"

Evangeline waved Akuro off saying, "Oh, don't get so uptight you. Anyway I see why you seem off. That's a glamour you have on, isn't it? Don't worry, I won't say anything more, since I'm sure you have your reasons."

Then she started to walk away, and Chachamaru went after her, with Evangeline saying, "Honestly, why a guy would want to look like a girl is beyond me…"

Akuro couldn't help but feel annoyed as he raised his right hand up over his head and used a healing spell to cure all the cuts he had. Shaking his head, Akuro said, "I don't think I want to know what goes through that vampire's head…"

Negi and Asuna look at each other for a moment before Negi asks, "Uh, what happened to the assailant Akuro?"

"Ha, it turned out to be a false alarm Negi," Akuro replied, not caring that Negi used his real name at the moment, "The assailant turns out to be a fellow apprentice graduate, Yenta Asakura. He was sent by my Master as a means to test me, to see if my skills are up to snuff."

Now the three of them were walking towards the dorms as Asuna looked at Akuro asking, "Asakura? Does that mean…?"

"Yup, he's Kazumi-san's cousin. He told me that before we fought in fact." Akuro replied, shaking his head a bit.

When they reached the dorm entrance, Akuro said, "Well, guess we part here. I'll see you later Negi, Asuna-san."

After Negi and Asuna said their byes, Akuro was about to leave when he heard footsteps approaching. Turning around, Akuro saw Setsuna running towards him, looking like she was in a rush. When she was in front of him, she said, "Sakuraba-sensei, thank goodness you look alright. What happened to the assailant?!"

"Don't worry about the assailant Sakurazaki-san, turns out that it was no more than a false alarm." Akuro told her.

When Setsuna looked confused, Akuro made up a story of how the assailant was sent by Master Yojiro to actually get information about himself from 'Akari' and that 'Akari' was tested to see if she really was worthy of being a Shinmei-ryu, and passed the test. After finishing the story, Setsuna couldn't help but be surprised at one thing as she said, "Akuro's teacher was Master Yojiro Konoe? I never heard anything about that…"

"Not surprising, since Master Yojiro keeps things as private as possible from what Akuro told me." Akuro told her. Then he yawned a bit and said, "It's getting late, so I'll see you later Sakurazaki-san."

Bowing, Setsuna said, "Alright, goodnight Sakuraba-sensei."

Akuro was about to leave when he whipped around saying, "Wait a minute."

"What is it sensei?" Setsuna asked.

"Well, do you mind if I call you Setsuna from now on? I must admit, Sakurazaki-san is a bit of a mouthful for me." Akuro said with a slight smile.

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Setsuna replied, "I don't mind, Akari-sensei."

Smirking, Akuro said, "Thanks, and goodnight Setsuna-san."

Setsuna gave another bow before heading inside, while Akuro walked off back toward the hotel. He thought, 'It looks like the case with McDowell-san has calmed down, along with that assailant business. Jeez, such craziness, and I haven't even been here for half a month… Hopefully, things will settle down now."

Sadly, Akuro didn't know that his life would turn upside down and change the moment he'd set foot at Mahora. If it's for better or for worse, well, only time could tell…

* * *

Note: Here's the end of the Eva/Intro arc, and I must say, that it was quite a bit of a struggle to finish. Anyway, just to point out a few things that I think I didn't mention. One is that this story will strictly go by the manga storyline, so what happens in the manga, will happen here, but in a different way of course, along with a few original ideas. Another thing is like a follow up, which is that everything that happened before the Eva arc already happened, so those will be mentioned only in passing. I know the OC stories are overused here, but I hope everyone that reads this story can bear with me. Thanks for reading and hope that you all look forward to the next chapter!


	6. The Next Step

Chapter 6 – The Next Step

_Mahora Academy – city grounds_

The next day was a day off for the week, and Akuro couldn't help but feel thankful for that. The fight against Yenta pulled a bit more out of him than he thought, and had a hard time during his morning Shinmei-ryu practice with Yatsusuna. Panting, he thought, 'I shouldn't have put off practice when I came here…'

After practice, Akuro made his way to a café shop in town for a coffee. He thought, 'Man, I hate the stuff, but it does wake me up in the morning.'

Turning a street corner, Akuro continued to think, 'Still, I wonder how Master Yojiro knew I was back in Japan so quickly… As far as I know, only a few people know my real identity, like Takamichi and Dean Konoe…'

That's when it hit him and Akuro thought, 'Grr, I should've figured… Master Yojiro and Dean Konoe are brothers, and the Dean does know about my apprenticeship. Probably wanted me to be tested the moment I set foot here at Mahora…'

Sighing, Akuro waked towards an outdoor coffee shop, and surprisingly enough, he saw Negi, Asuna, Evangeline, and Chachamaru sitting together having coffee. Akuro tried to be inconspicuous, but Evangeline called out, "Well, if it isn't the assistant teacher with the tasty blood."

"Who has tasty blood?" Akuro asked, looking skeptical. Negi and Asuna turned to Akuro's direction and Negi said, "Oh Akari, good morning."

"Morning Negi." Akuro replied, sounding a bit tired. Asuna looked at him and asked, "Tired already Akari-sensei?"

A nod came from Akuro as he replied, "Still trying to wake up actually Asuna-san. If you'd excuse me, I need to get a coffee."

After Akuro got a coffee, he sat down with Negi and the others, and they were chatting about Negi's father, and how he might still be alive. He thought, 'Negi's sure obsessed with his father… I'd be too, if I knew who my real parents were, I guess…'

Evangeline seemed elated to hear that Nagi was still alive, and as they got up and walked together, Akuro heard her say various things about Nagi. He couldn't help but smirk at Evangeline's actions, but he managed to hide them as he heard Negi say, "But this staff is our only clue, right?"

"Kyoto." Evangeline simply replied.

Akuro raised an eyebrow at that, while having a stoic look at the mention of Kyoto. He heard Evangeline go on to say, "You should go to Kyoto and look for yourself. There was a house there, where he lived for a while. If the rumors of his death really are false, there might be a clue lying around there."

As Negi got a bit worked up about Kyoto, Akuro couldn't help but think, 'Kyoto huh? That's the last place that I want to be, but if Negi convinces the Dean to go, I won't have much choice but to follow along. Nekane will skin me alive if I let him wander around Japan by himself…'

Shivering at the thought, Akuro still had reserved thoughts about Kyoto when he suddenly heard a munching sound and saw that Evangeline was biting down on Negi's arm. Negi noticed it too and shouted, "P-please don't bite me!"

"Aw c'mon, think of it as payment for the information." Evangeline said casually.

"What?" Negi shouted, still freaked out about being bitten. That's when Evangeline looked at Akuro and said, "But you know, your blood would be much better Sakuraba."

"Oh really… Well, I hope you savored the taste last night, 'cause you're not getting another drop outta me." Akuro stated quite plainly.

"Says the guy using a female disguise." Evangeline casually shot back.

Everyone, including Akuro, was surprised by that as Akuro asked, "How'd you figure it out McDowell-san?"

Evangeline gave a smirk as she replied, "I could tell from the taste of your blood from last night Sakuraba. I'm guessing that Akari Sakuraba isn't even your real name, but that doesn't matter to me. What matters is that bastard Nagi might still be alive, fu fu fu…"

Everyone except Chachamaru looked at Evangeline oddly, but all Akuro did was shake his head as he whispered, "Kyoto…huh…"

Somehow, Negi heard Akuro speak and said, "That's right, you're from Kyoto, aren't you Akari?"

"So you remember Negi." Akuro said, looking a bit worn.

Asuna found that bit of information interesting, but didn't press into it as the five of them kept walking down the street together. Akuro was busy listening to Negi talk about interesting Kyoto would be once he visited the place, and part of him wondered if he could go back without being found out, along with the mixed emotions he had about the place.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – 3A Classroom_

The next day, Negi made an announcement in homeroom that nearly shocked Akuro, "Everyone! Next week, Class 3-A will be going on a school trip to Kyoto and Nara!"

Akuro nearly coughed in shock as Negi asked excitedly, "Is everyone prepared?"

"Yeah!" Most of the class shouted, excited about the trip. Akuro couldn't help but think, "This must be because of what Eva said. He sure pulled one over me this time…"

Crossing his arms, Akuro heard Ayaka say, "There are a lot of people at our school, so the destination is always chosen from a whole list of locations like Hawaii. Since there are so many international students in our class, and Negi-sensei himself is in Japan for the first time, everyone seems to be in agreement for the trip to Kyoto and Nara."

Negi had sparkles in his eyes as he leaned over the podium and held Ayaka's hand saying, "T-thank you Iincho-san!"

Watching Negi act all excited about the trip, along with Fuuka and Fumika, made Akuro sigh as he thought, 'Still the same as ever…' Smirking, he said, "You sure look excited, Negi-sensei."

Negi stopped waving around in excitement as he turned to Akuro saying, "That's right, you're from Kyoto, so it'll be pretty much going back to your hometown, huh?"

Everyone was surprised at that, particularly Konoka and Setsuna, as Sakurako asked, "You're from Kyoto Akari-sensei?"

"…You could say that," Akuro said, sounding a bit cryptic, though a part of him was cursing Negi for bringing that up again, "But, I haven't been back there like in ten years, so I don't have much memory of it…"

The students were surprised by that, and they started talking as Shizuna walked into the classroom saying, "Negi-sensei, Akari-sensei, the Dean is calling for the two of you."

"Ah, alright!" Negi said, "Let's go Akari!"

Akuro nodded and walked over to Shizuna with Negi, who gave instructions to the class before the two of them left. As they walked out, Akuro did wonder what the Dean wanted, while Negi was still in his happy mode, skipping the whole way. Seeing that, Akuro couldn't help but smirk, though in his disguise, it sounded like a giggle.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – Dean's office_

The happy mood that Negi had earlier vanished in an instant the moment the Dean told them that the trip to Kyoto was probably going to be cancelled. Apparently Negi didn't take the news very well and shouted, "Eeh? T-the school trip to Kyoto's been cancelled?"

Negi looked like someone just told him that both his Birthday and Christmas were cancelled for life and was teetering in disbelief. Akuro on the other hand, looked pretty amused and was on the verge of laughing, seeing Negi's reaction. That's when Konoemon suggested, "Hmm…you can't go to Kyoto, but how about Hawaii?"

Apparently, that didn't get through to Negi as he leaned on the wall for support as Akuro said, "Negi, you'd better get a hold of yourself, ha ha ha…"

Konoemon agreed saying, "Yes, please let me explain first. It's not cancelled for sure just yet… It's just that _they_ don't want you to go."

Akuro narrowed his eyes at that, while Negi looked confused and asked, "_They_? You mean, the Kyoto government office?"

"Uh, no…err… How should I explain this…" Konoemon said.

Giving a sigh, Akuro said, "Dean Konoe's probably talking about the Kansai Magic Association, am I right?"

Konoemon nodded as Negi said, "K-Kansai Magic Association?"

"Yeah…" Akuro said, "First, let me explain a few things Negi. The Japanese mages are essentially split into two groups: the Kansai Magic Association to the east, and the Kanto Magic Association to the west. Dean Konoe here is one of the directors of the Kantou Magic Association, and from what I've last heard, the relationship between the two was less than stable, or have things been patched up?"

"No, things are still the same as ever, I'm afraid." Konoemon told him. Then he said to Negi, "If I were to send in a teacher who was also a mage, they would undoubtedly voice their disapproval in an instant. Akuro-kun can probably get away with it since he's currently in disguise, and it isn't well known…"

Negi looked shocked and said, "Eh? You mean it's mostly because of me?"

Konoemon held his hand up saying, "Wait, please let me finish."

Clearing his throat, Konoemon went on, "Actually, I want to stop the feud with the mages in the west, so I'm going to send you as a special envoy."

Taking out a letter from the inside of his desk, Konoemon handed it to Negi saying, "All you have to do is pass this letter to their leader. You may be in danger along the way, but as they are also mages, I doubt that they will get the students, or any other normal people involved." Then Konoemon gave a sigh before saying, "This will not be an easy task Negi-kun, even with Akuro-kun's help… So, what do you say?"

There was a moment of silence as Akuro and Konoemon looked at Negi, waiting for his answer. Then Negi looked up with confidence and said, "I understand! Please leave it to me, Dean-sensei!"

Akuro couldn't help but sigh and say, "Well then, I'll do my best to help Negi, Dean Konoe…"

Konoemon couldn't help but notice the lack of enthusiasm in Akuro's voice, but turned to Negi and said, "Ho ho ho… I like the look on that face of yours. Did something happen since the new term began?"

"Eh?" Negi said, caught off guard. Both he and Akuro looked at each other before Negi replied, "N-no, nothing in particular!"

"Is that so?" Konoemon asked. He then looked a bit serious as he said, "Oh, one more thing. Akuro-kun here already knows this, since they're childhood friends, but Kyoto is where my granddaughter Konoka used to live… She hasn't found out that either of you are mages yet, has she?"

"Eh… I don't think so…" Negi replied, though he was surprised to hear that Akuro and Konoka were childhood friends. Akuro told Konoemon, "I haven't done any magic in front of her either, so she shouldn't know."

"I don't really care myself, but her parents have different ideas. Please, if possible, don't let her find out, and I'm sorry about this." Konoemon told him.

"Y-yes, I understand." Negi said, with Akuro just giving him a nod in response.

Then Konoemon told them, "Hmm…well then, the school trip will proceed as planned. I'm counting on you two, Negi-kun, Akuro-kun."

"Yes sir!" The two of them replied. They were about to leave when Konoemon said, "Um, please wait Akuro-kun. I have some things I want to talk to you about."

"Sure thing Dean Konoe. I'll see you later Negi." Akuro said.

"Okay Akuro." Negi said, leaving the office.

Now that it was only the two of them, Akuro looked at Konoemon and asked, "So, I'm guessing this is about me going to Kyoto, right?"

"I'm sorry Akuro-kun, but me and the other directors have tried to get the sentence on you lifted, but practically all of the Kansai Magic Association won't budge on it. Not even that son-in-law of mine can do anything about it right now." Konoemon said.

"I see…" Akuro said calmly, though inside he was looking like he was ready to kill something. He managed to calm down however as Konoemon asked, "To be honest Akuro-kun, I'm still worried that something might happen during the trip, so please, could you protect Konoka during the trip?"

"As if you need to ask me that Dean Konoe, I'd protect her to the death if I had to, you know." Akuro told him.

Konoemon looked relieved, while something came to Akuro and he asked, "By the way, how did Yojiro-sensei know that I was back in Japan? I'm pretty sure that I made my return as discreet as possible."

Akuro gave Konoemon a piercing glare that made him gulp and say, "W-well, I sent my brother a letter a day after you arrived. You should know that he's been wondering about you ever since you were sent to England to learn Western magic."

Shaking his head, Akuro said, "Please don't do this again sir. Setsuna nearly got herself involved and I don't want my identity revealed anytime soon."

"I understand." Konoemon said, "Well, that's it for now. You're free to go Akuro."

"Of course, Dean Konoe." Akuro said with a bow before leaving the office. Konoemon sighed as he thought, 'If only things were simpler…'

* * *

_Mahora – city streets_

Outside, Akuro was walking down the streets by himself in thought after having a quick dinner, when he bumped into someone, sending the person he bumped falling back. He grabbed the person's arm before they fell down saying, "Sorry about that!"

"It's okay Akari-sensei." The voice replied. Akuro turned to the person and saw that it was Chizuru that he bumped into. He said, "I'm sorry Naba-san, I was deep in thought."

"I understand Akari-sensei." Chizuru said as she stood up straight. She then said, "You need to keep an eye on things while you walk Akari-sensei."

"I know, it's just things have been a bit overwhelming lately…" Akuro admitted, "What are you doing by the way?"

"Oh, I just went shopping for dinner," Chizuru said, holding up a bag of groceries, "Natsumi and I are having something special."

Akuro just nodded, though he couldn't help but look at how Chizuru looked older and more mature than her age. He managed to keep his eyes from wandering as he said, "Oh, that sounds nice. I can cook for myself, but nothing too spectacular."

Walking beside Chizuru heading back to the dorms, Akuro found talking to Chizuru to be quite interesting, and he thought, 'She's certainly the most mature out of all of 3-A, that's for sure…'

Suddenly, four guys walk up to them, and Akuro knew that they weren't up to any good as one of them, who had spiky black hair, said, "Well now, what are you two pretty ladies doing out here at this time?"

'Ugh, another group of playboys…' Akuro thought as he cried inwardly, not wanting to deal with these types again. He looked at Chizuru and saw that she was starting to get a bit nervous, though she kept a calm demeanor the entire time. Akuro then said curtly, "We were just heading home right now, so if you would please excuse us…"

Akuro took Chizuru by the hand and started walking away when one of the other guys, this one having flat brown hair, grabbed his hand and said, "Aw c'mon, don't be like that. Why don't the two of you come out with us for some fun?"

"No thank you." Akuro replied shortly before attempting to walk away with Chizuru. That's when the third guy, a redhead, put his hand on Chizuru's shoulder, with the fourth guy, who looked to be the third guy's twin, was standing right beside her. The third guy said, "Well, maybe your friend here might want to come with us?"

Chizuru subconsciously tightened her hold on Akuro's hand as she said calmly, "I'm sorry, but my roommate and I have to head back home for dinner."

Akuro raised an eyebrow slightly at the mention of being Chizuru's roommate, while the first guy said, "Well, why don't we take the two of you out to dinner instead, relax a bit you know?"

The patience in Akuro was dwindling and Chizuru was starting to get worried as Akuro said, "Could you please take your hand off my friend here please?"

"Oh, sorry about that." The third guy said as he took his hand off. Akuro figured that they were trying to play it safe and he plainly stated, "I'm sorry but we really need to get going. Let's go Naba-san."

"O-okay." Chizuru said and the two started walking away again, but the second guy grabbed Akuro's hand saying, "Please wait a-!"

The guy never got the chance to finish what he was saying when he was on the ground unconscious with Akuro having a fist where the guy was standing. He had let go of Chizuru and the other three guys were stunned at what just happened. Akuro didn't give them the chance to react as he acted quickly to knock the three guys out with his reflexes. Chizuru just watched surprised as she saw Akuro knock out the guys that were hitting on them, and when he was finished she asked, "Um, wasn't that a bit too much Akari-sensei?"

Snapping out of his frustration, Akuro replied, "Oh that, uh, sorry, it's just that my patience ran thin just now and I acted without thinking. By the way, are you alright Naba-san?"

"Yes, I'm alright, and the groceries are fine too." Chizuru said with a smile, holding up the bag she had.

Akuro nodded and said, "Well, let's get going before anyone else comes around."

Chizuru nodded and the two of them walked away from the unconscious boys, and only a few minutes later, that a few people passing by saw them and called the police. One of them moaned, 'D…Dem…on…' before fading back into unconsciousness.

As they walked Akuro said, "Sorry about my behavior just now. I don't like guys who try and flirt with girls on the streets."

'Not to mention that I would start questioning my orientation if I started dating guys under this glamour…' Akuro mentally added.

"It's alright, and I'm glad that you got them off of us." Chizuru said gratefully. Akuro looked at her and asked, "I take it that you get hit on when you go out?"

"Not all the time, just occasionally," Chizuru replied, "Though this is the first time I've encountered more aggressive flirts though."

"I see," Akuro replied, "Well, I can't say I blame them either, you are quite beautiful Naba-san."

Chizuru giggled a bit as she said with a hint of teasing, "Thank you Akari-sensei. If you were a guy then I would probably consider dating you."

'Yikes,' Akuro thought, 'Let's just hope she doesn't find out.' Giggling a bit at the notion Akuro acted, "You're too funny Naba-san."

Both of them continued to chat as they made their way to the dormitories as Akuro thought, 'Oh man, is my thinking starting to turn into a girl's the longer I work here as Akari Sakuraba?'

* * *

_Mahora Academy – dormitories_

Akuro and Chizuru were standing outside the apartment door where Chizuru, Natsumi, and Ayaka shared. Chizuru was about to open the door when she turned to Akuro and said, "Thank you very much for earlier Akari-sensei, and it was nice talking to you."

"Don't worry about it." Akuro assured her. Chizuru looked like she was about to say something more when the door opened, showing Natsumi and Ayaka at the door. Natsumi said, "Chizu-nee, there you are, we thought-, oh, hello Akari-sensei!"

"Akari-sensei, this is a surprise!" Ayaka said, looking at Akuro.

"Hello Ayaka-san, Murakami-san." Akuro said with a nod towards the two. He then turned to Chizuru and said, "Well, I'd better get going now, I still have some school-related things to take care of, so I'll see the three of you later in class tomorrow."

"Bye Akari-sensei." Chizuru, Ayaka, and Natsumi said simultaneously. Akuro nodded and walked away as Chizuru walked into her dorm room. Inside Natsumi asked, "Why were you with Akari-sensei Chizu-nee?"

"Oh, we just bumped into each other down in the streets…" Chizuru started before the door fully closed, and Akuro sighed thinking, 'The next time some idiot tries to flirt with me, it'll just be easier to knock them out the first chance I get. Maybe I should've made this glamour a bit plainer or something…'

Akuro sighed as he made his way out of the dorms and hurried away towards the hotel he was staying at, when all of a sudden he heard Konoka shout, "Aaaaan! I want a card too!"

Surprised at the shout, he looked towards the source and saw Negi, Asuna, and Konoka walking towards the dorms, with Chamo being held by Asuna and looking quite beaten. When they saw Akuro walking towards them, Konoka ran up to Akuro and said, "Akari-sensei, it was horrible!"

"What?" Akuro said, looking surprised and wondering what Konoka was talking about.

"I tried to get a card from Negi-kun, but it didn't work properly!" Konoka replied.

"A…card?" Akuro asked, looking from Negi to Asuna. Negi had a blush on his face as he quickly showed Asuna's Pactio Card to him, while Asuna held up Chamo. Putting the two together, Akuro repeated with understanding, "A card…"

"I tried, but the drawing on it was horrible and it even vanished soon afterwards! Negi said that I have to give him a kiss on the lips to make it work!" Konoka told Akuro.

Akuro gave Negi a look and said, "That…sounds interesting. Well, I'll see you later, and Negi, we need to have a talk later about 'Student-Teacher' relations, alright?"

"Uh, yes Akari!" Negi shouted out of embarrassment, though he figured what the real issue was. Akuro gave the ermine a killing look that made Chamo faint out of fright, before leaving saying, "I'll see you guys later. I need to head back to the hotel now."

"Bye Akari-sensei." Both Asuna and Konoka said as Akuro left. Negi didn't say anything until Konoka grabbed him saying, "Let's go Negi-kun!"

Akuro was currently running towards the hotel he was staying at as he thought, 'Konoka tried to get a Pactio out of Negi. This is starting to be quite troublesome, and even the dud card disappearing too in front of her. Although the disturbing thing is that Konoka didn't seem fazed by the card disappearing though…'

Shaking his head Akuro thought, 'Whatever, I have other things to deal with, like that amount of paperwork that the Dean decided to give me instead of Negi, ugh…'

With that, Akuro hastened his pace to his hotel room, where he was sure that the paperwork for the trip was waiting for him. He wondered why the Dean wouldn't do this himself, but remembered that even as a 'temporary' teacher, they needed either his or Negi's signature in addition to Mahora's seal of approval. Giving another sigh, Akuro prepared himself for the few hours of torture that was to come.

* * *

Note: Only three more chapters until the start of the Kyoto Arc, and it's kind of sad that no one's said anything the last few chapters. I don't mind, since I would be more pissed at no one reading this story, since it would feel like I'm wasting my time. Sorry for ranting and see ya next chapter!


	7. Spectral Vision

Chapter 7 – Spectral Vision

_Mahora Academy – 3-A Classroom_

Akuro was currently by himself in the classroom, going over a few things that Negi had left behind due to more important duties coming up. As he was going through the papers of today's classes, he couldn't help but feel that he wasn't alone in the room. Ever since he started working as Negi's teacher's assistant, he had this strange feeling every time he came into 3-A's classroom, though it tended to vanish soon afterwards.

Looking around, all he saw were empty desks with no place to hide, unless you were a tiny bug. He thought with a frown, 'Ugh, why do I feel like I'm not alone here?'

Sayo Aisaka continued to watch Akuro with a bit of fascination, since he was the only thing that was moving in the room at the moment, and it wasn't like there was anything else that was around she could watch. She looked at the frustration he had on his face and thought, 'I wonder what Akari-sensei's problem is? She looks like she's having trouble with something.'

Going over to the doors and making sure they were locked, Sayo wondered, 'What's Akari-sensei doing?'

After checking that everything was secure Akuro went up to the podium and said, "Well, at least now I can get rid of this thing for a moment."

Sayo wondered what Akuro was talking about when he dispelled the glamour that he had, reverting to his original appearance. That made Sayo's ghostly eyeballs pop out in shock as Akuro said, "Whew, that's much better. Being in disguise for most of the time is starting to take a toll on my mind."

'W-w-what's g-going o-o-on? A-A-Akari-se-sensei's a man?' Sayo thought in shock, 'N-not only that, but was that disguise m-magic?'

"Hmm, from Akari Sakuraba to Akuro Sakuragi, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought that I developed a split personality from all the practice." Akuro mused to himself as he went back behind the podium. Sayo stared at Akuro and asked herself, "So his real name is Akuro Sakuragi?"

Floating over to take a closer look, Sayo took in Akuro's real features as she said, "Wow, his face does look a bit feminine, though other than that, he looks a bit ordinary to me…"

That's when Akuro suddenly snapped up and stared right at her, making her scream and fall backwards. To Akuro though, he didn't see any of that as he said, "There it was again, it feels like I'm not alone in this room!"

In the middle of getting back up, Sayo heard what Akuro said and whispered, "He can sense me? Not even the most skilled exorcists and priests were even able to sense me back then. Hmm, if he can at least sense me, then maybe…"

Shaking his head, Akuro went back to work and Sayo's curiosity started to build. She wondered about him being able to sense her presence, but eventually went back to her seat to just plain watch what he was doing. It was a bit boring and by the time Akuro was finished, Sayo was more or less dozing off, so she didn't see him recast his glamour back on and leave the classroom. It was only when the door was slammed shut that Sayo jumped up and saw that she was all alone in the classroom. She thought, 'Uuuh, it's so lonely here…'

The next day was a bit more hectic for Negi and Akuro, as the class of 3-A were starting to get a lot more excited about the trip to Kyoto, though he noticed that Setsuna was a bit restless. It was small enough to be unnoticed by the untrained eye, but Akuro made a glance towards her before going back to what he was doing. Akuro admitted to himself that he wasn't looking forward to the trip to Kyoto with a number of things to worry about. He calmed himself as he watched Negi go through another English lesson with 3-A, ready to jump in at anytime he was needed.

Sayo, who was still curious about Akuro in general, decided to test a few things now, and she figured, 'Well, since I'm a ghost, then something like this shouldn't hurt.'

Getting up from her desk and floating over to Akuro, she carefully pointed her right index finger at Akuro's nose and started tickling it. At first it didn't do anything, but then Akuro started to feel something and after a minute or two, he suddenly sneezed, causing everyone to look at him and Sayo to back away a bit in slight surprise. Negi turned to Akuro and said, "Bless you Akari."

"Sorry about that Negi, please go on." Akuro replied sniffling a bit. Negi nodded and he continued on teaching the class, while Akuro thought, 'I felt something faint tickling my nose just now! I wonder what it was…'

Sayo found Akuro's reaction to be interesting, and a tiny hope came up that she might finally be able to communicate with someone. She went back to her seat, leaving a slightly bewildered Akuro and a curious Negi who wondered about Akuro's sudden expression. Seeing the look on Akuro's face made her giggle, which she hasn't done in a very long time.

'I'm going to get to the bottom of this sooner or later…' Akuro thought seriously. He took a quick glance at the empty seat beside Kazumi and swore he felt that strange feeling again, even if it's just for an instant.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – campus_

After school, Akuro had something on his mind and he had asked Negi for the class roster. Negi was curious as to what Akuro wanted the roster for, but Akuro just told him that he wanted to go over everyone in class again, since he didn't know everyone quite well just yet. Taking the roster from Negi, Akuro opened it and was surprised to see a number of notes written inside it. He said, "Oh, what's this? Negi's personal notes hmm? You plan on dating one of them?"

Negi blushed a bit at that and said, "Please Akari, don't joke around with that! It would be against regulations and all!"

"I'm just joking around with you a bit," Akuro said with a grin, "Though some of these notes say otherwise…"

"Ak-ari!" Negi shouted, almost shouting 'Akuro' by mistake again. Akuro laughed and said, "Don't worry; I just need this to check a few things. I'll hand it back to you later."

Then Akuro suddenly ran off in the direction of the school, making Negi think, 'I wonder what he's up to…?'

After running a couple of strides until Negi was out of sight, Akuro took out the class roster and opened it up, looking at the various pictures of the students. Immediately, his eyes fell upon Sayo's picture, which to any rational person could tell, was different from the others. Looking underneath it he saw a particular note that made him whisper, "1940…? Don't change? What's with this note?"

Akuro was puzzled by that notion that he wasn't paying much attention to where he was going, and someone was running right towards him. The person wasn't watching where they were going either and before either of them knew it, the two crashed into each other, sending both of them down to the ground.

Trying to shake his head, Akuro found that his face was buried under a girl's ample chest as he thought, 'Ow…what hit me? And who is this?'

The person that bumped into him was getting up off of him saying, "Ouch…oh Akari-sensei! Are you alright?"

Opening his eyes and looking up at the person, Akuro saw that it was one of the girls from 3-A. When he gave a quick look at the roster that was still open on the ground, he said, "You're…Yuna Akashi right?"

"What? Don't tell me that you don't know me Akari-sensei!" Yuna said sadly. Akuro gave an apologetic smile and said, "I'm sorry Akashi-san, I've been here for a few weeks and I still don't know everyone's name right off the bat."

"It's okay Akari-sensei," Yuna said with a smile, while Akuro realized the situation they were in and he fought hard not to blush as he asked, "Um, could you get off of me please Akashi-san?"

Yuna realized that she was sitting on top of Akuro's stomach and she quickly got off of him saying, "I-I'm so sorry Akari-sensei, I was in a hurry just now!"

Akuro got up and grabbed what he had dropped saying, "It's alright, I wasn't watching where I was going too." He mentally added, 'And it's been happening more frequently too…'

Taking a look at Yuna, he saw that she was in a basketball outfit and he asked, "I take it that you were going somewhere Akashi-san?"

That's when it looked like Yuna remembered what she was doing and said, "Sorry Sensei, but I need to hurry back to practice, or the coach is gonna grill me again!"

"See you later Akashi-san." Akuro said with a nod. Yuna said goodbye too before running off towards the gym. He thought, 'She sure was lively, now to get back to what I was doing…'

That's when Akuro remembered the feel of Yuna's chest and he blushed thinking, 'She sure was soft…wait, I need to get back on track here!' He ran off while trying to keep his mind focused on the task at hand.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – 3-A Classroom_

The classroom was empty again, save for Sayo who was still 'sitting' at her desk. She sighed and said, "Another day, another moment of loneliness, though getting a reaction out of Akuro-sensei was interesting at the very least…"

Suddenly, the door opened and Sayo jumped in surprise as Akuro walked in, holding the class roster in his hand. Sayo was curious as to what Akuro was doing here as she heard him say, "Can't believe that no one's noticed until now, or they did and they just didn't do anything about it. Though it's not like the Dean to let things slip…"

Sayo got curious as to what Akuro was talking about as he walked up to the podium. He looked around the empty classroom, and when his eyes stopped at Sayo's seat and stared at it, Sayo thought that he was looking right at her as she gulped. Looking down at the open roster, he said, "Well, let's see if something really will happen."

That made Sayo raise an eyebrow in confusion as she wondered what he was going to do. Then Akuro went over to Sayo's desk and held out a hand right in front of her, though with Akuro, to him he was just holding his hand out towards an empty space, looking like an idiot. Sayo couldn't make heads or tails about the sudden action, though a part of her wondered if Akuro realized that she was actually there and was trying to make contact.

As the thought went through Sayo's mind, a part of her grew happy that someone was finally trying to make contact with her. It made her lift her hand and put it above Akuro's, like a woman accepting a man's offer to dance, and she made sure it looked like she was touching Akuro's hand, and not go through it like it usually would.

A cold feeling touched Akuro's hand, and while a part of him was surprised, the other part of him knew that there was something there. Taking a gamble, he first said to himself, "Okay, I know that someone's here now, a ghost most likely." He then spoke as if he was talking to someone, "Now, whoever's there, I want you to answer me something so please stop touching my hand for now. A yes and no question, with two touches for yes, and one touch for no. Are you Sayo Aisaka?"

Sayo felt overjoyed that someone knew that it was her and she instinctively said, "Yes, I am!"

When Akuro didn't react, Sayo remembered that he couldn't hear her, and the way that Akuro told her to answer came back to her. So instead she tapped Akuro's hand twice, hoping that he felt that.

A nod came from Akuro as he said, "Okay, so it really is Aisaka-san. Are you in front of me right now?"

Sayo touched Akuro's hand twice again and he was satisfied with that response. Lowering his hand he said, "Hmm, now that's been answered, how on earth am I going to see her? I don't know any magic that would do the job…"

Hearing that, Sayo figured that Akuro was a mage considering his glamour disguise and the way he was talking about magic. Curious, Sayo watched Akuro as he thought to himself, trying to figure out a way to communicate with Sayo. That's when he got an idea and muttered, "I'm not sure that it'll work but…"

Closing his eyes, Akuro started focusing magic into his eyes, and a slightly burning sensation poured into his eyes. Normally, when Akuro uses a large amount of magic or suddenly became under a lot of stress, his eyes would become magically enhanced, causing his eyes to change from their regular brown to a bright red that glowed. It enhanced his eyesight and perception, making him better able to see and react. He never actually tried doing it willingly, and with the other times it was more on instinct when pushed to his limits.

Opening his eyes, Sayo was surprised to see the color change in Akuro's eyes, and found the slight glowing to be a bit freaky in her opinion. Meanwhile, Akuro was using his enhanced eyes to look in front of him, and something started to appear in front of him. It was blurry at first, but slowly, Sayo's image started to get clearer, and after a few minutes of staring, Akuro was finally able to see Sayo clearly in front of her, though Sayo herself was looking away since Akuro's stare was making her uncomfortable. Giving a sigh, Akuro said, "So, you're Sayo Aisaka. It's good that I'm finally able to see you now."

Sayo looked at him like he just grew a second head and stammered, "Y-you can s-see me?"

"And I can hear you too. That must be a bonus."

"I-I can't believe it…"

"Though I can't help but wonder why I'm suddenly able to hear you now as well…"

Looking at Sayo, Akuro could see tears falling down her faces as she said, "Finally, I'm able to talk to someone after so long…"

Smiling, Akuro said, "Well, let's redo introductions. I'm Akuro Sakuragi, but in disguise I'm Akari Sakuraba. It's nice to meet you."

Nodding, Sayo followed, "And I'm Sayo Aisaka, the resident ghost of the now 3-A class. It's nice to meet you Sakuragi-sensei."

"Please, call me Akuro, but in this disguise call me Akari. Even though no one else can see or hear you at the moment, it's not too bad to be careful." Akuro corrected her.

"Um, why are you in disguise, uh, Akari-sensei?" Sayo asked in curiosity.

"I can't say, but I can at least say that I'm not in this disguise because I like it, and I figure that you realized that I'm a mage, right?"

"A mage? So magic really exists?"

A humored chuckle escaped Akuro's lips as he replied, "That kind of sounds funny, coming from you."

Sayo was puzzled by what he meant until she realized what he was talking about, and it made her giggle as she said, "I guess that makes sense, with me being a ghost and all…"

That's when Akuro felt the magic in his eyes fade away, turning them back into their regular brown, but to his surprise, he saw that Sayo's image didn't fade away. He whispered, "Now this is interesting…"

Shaking his head, Akuro wiped his eyes as Sayo noticed that his eyes went back to normal, and feared that he wouldn't be able to see her anymore. Blinking, Akuro saw that even without the magic infusion in his eyes now, he could still see Sayo, who was starting to get worried.

"Wow, I guess once I see you, you stay visible, as well as being able to hear you too. The wonders of magic, I guess…" Akuro muttered.

Sayo's eyes widened at that and she asked a bit timidly, "You can still see me?"

A nod came from Akuro as he told her, "Sure looks like it." Looking at the clock, he saw that it was getting late and he said, "Well, it looks like it's getting late, I wish I could stay and chat, but I need to get going, so I'll see you later Aisaka-san."

"Please, call me Sayo." Sayo told him with a smile.

"Sure thing Sayo. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

As Akuro left the classroom, Sayo felt really happy that she finally found someone who she could talk to, after all this time. She smiled in her seat as she thought, 'I-I can finally talk to someone! And with Akuro-sensei's help, maybe I can make friends with the rest of the class, as well as Negi-sensei!'

Outside the classroom, Akuro winced as he felt a slight pain in his eye, which made him think, 'Ow, I'd better not do that again anytime soon if this pain is the result of forcing magical energy into my eyes. Well, at least one mystery is solved for now…though with this class, I'm surprised to see that Negi hasn't started crying for Nekane due to stress. Oh well, I guess that's Negi for you, so determined and hardworking that it borders on tunnel vision…'

That thought made him chuckle as he made his way to his hotel room. Little did he know, someone was following him, and being far away enough it didn't catch Akuro's attention as he walked.

* * *

_Mahora – hotel room_

When Akuro reached his room, he sighed a breath of relief as he started to relax. Apparently, the magic infusion wore him out, and he noticed that his right eye twitched every five minutes. He hoped that the side effect from the magic infusion would subside quickly, since it never happened when he did it on instinct during fights. Giving a sigh, he dropped the glamour and was about to take off his shirt when he turned around and saw Sayo floating in front of him.

There was a moment of silence as the two of them looked at each other before Akuro gave a strangled yell and fell backwards in shock. Sayo was surprised by Akuro's sudden reaction as she asked, "A-Akuro-sensei? Are you alright?"

"S-S-Sayo? What are you doing here?" Akuro stammered in shock as he got up from the floor.

"Ah, I'm sorry sensei, but I just wanted to know where you were staying! I overheard from Asakura-san that you were living in a hotel for quite sometime, so…" Sayo trailed off, a bit embarrassed at the situation.

Calming down, Akuro said, "O-okay, it's natural to be a bit curious. Excuse me Sayo, but I need to change, so could you please…"

Sayo had a faint blush as she realized what Akuro was implying and phased through the door shouting, "I'll wait outside sensei!"

After getting changed into a plain t-shirt and pants, Akuro let Sayo back into the room, and when the both of them were settled, Akuro asked, "So Sayo, since you're here, why don't you tell me about yourself."

"Um, well, actually, I don't remember much about my past, to be honest," Sayo replied, "It's been so long that I can't remember much of it, though I do know that I have a sister named Tsuwabuki though, as well as other family members like my mom and dad…"

"Named after a flower huh? I take it that you miss them?"

"Yes, her favorite flower in fact, and even though I can't remember much before I died, I'll never forget my family."

Akuro felt that the conversation was starting to get uncomfortable, and as he looked at Sayo, he noticed something and thought, 'Hmm, now that I take a good look at Sayo, she kinda looks like Konoka, though there are a few differences, like the bust size, for instance.'

Sayo noticed the amused look and asked, "Something wrong Akuro-sensei?"

"Nah, it's nothing," Waving it off, Akuro told Sayo a bit about himself, though he didn't mention that Negi was a mage like himself thinking, 'Ah, better not sweat the small stuff. Negi will notice, sooner or later…'

After talking for a while, Akuro went over and took out a state-of-the-art laptop out and placed it on the table. Sayo watched as Akuro started up the laptop and she asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna watch something that I've been missing for a while. I've been so busy trying to get used to school life as a teacher here, that I haven't been able to sit back and watch anime for a while."

"Anime?"

"Yeah, don't you know what anime is?"

"Of course I do!"

A chuckle came out of Akuro as the laptop finished booting up. As he went over to get a DVD, Sayo saw a few flyers for apartments nearby and said, "Apartments, huh?"

Akuro heard Sayo and said, "Yup, I can't live in this hotel room for the rest of my stay here. For all I know, the Dean might make me keep keep this teaching job for up to eight years, so it's better to just rent an apartment. Being in this hotel has already taken a chunk out of my savings already…"

Sayo just looked at him in understanding, though that's when she noticed the DVD in Akuro's hand. She asked, "What's that?"

"This?" Akuro held up the DVD, which showed four males in front of a giant mecha with a title in English, "This is Gundam 00, and I've been quite curious to watch it. I know it's been out for a while, and I hear it's pretty interesting. You wanna watch?"

"…Sure, I guess…" Sayo replied with uncertainty. Akuro just nodded and popped in the DVD. Setting the language for Japanese, he started it up, and both he and Sayo watched as the video started, showing a flashback of a war-torn country, and hearing a voice say, "This war, is a holy war in the name of God…"

Taking a quick look at Sayo, Akuro saw that she had a shocked expression on her face, seeing the images, though her eyes were glued to the screen. He snickered inwardly and he thought, 'Oh dear, just a few minutes in and she's already hooked. Does this make me a bad teacher?'

That's when Akuro thought of something and asked, "Oh and Sayo?"

"Yes?"

"Let's keep me knowing you a secret for now. I need to figure out how to tell the class, as well as Negi about your existence. If I just announced the news out of the blue, people might think I'm crazy or something without proof."

Sayo didn't look to happy about that, but was understanding as she said, "Okay Akuro-sensei…"

Akuro just smiled as he and Sayo continued to watch the first episode of Gundam 00. The two only watched the first seven episodes before Akuro decided to turn in, and when Sayo complained that she wanted to continue to watch, he compromised by letting her watch the first twenty six episodes of Gundam SEED that was stored on the laptop, which she complied too. Yawning, Akuro managed to fall asleep as Sayo spent the entire night watching all those episodes of Gundam SEED.

* * *

Note: Just to say, I know that Negima takes place in the year 2003, so Gundam 00 wouldn't even exist yet. Now I'm just saying that anything that came out from then to the end of 2009 is fair game to be mentioned, though I won't mention every little thing, since it would be too much.


	8. Pictured Swords

Chapter 8 – Pictured Swords

_Mahora Academy – 3-A classroom_

The next day, Akuro arrived in class with Sayo, and she quickly took her seat, while he greeted the students who were there, and took notice of the computer bag he had. Sayo looked exhausted and Akuro mused that she'd probably fall asleep in the middle of class. When Negi came in and greeted the class, he noticed that Akuro had taken out a laptop and put it on top of the podium. Curious, Negi asked, "What are you doing Akari?"

"Oh, nothing in particular." Akuro replied, though the way he said it sounded off, which made Negi and half the class curious. That's when he added, "Oh, isn't today the day where we split the class into groups for the field trip? We should focus today's class on that so we won't have to worry about it later."

Negi looked a bit thoughtful before he said, "Hmm, I guess you're right. Everyone, please form your own groups and please come up to me when you're done. No more than a group of five or six please!"

After that announcement, Negi went up to Akuro and asked quietly, "What's with the laptop Akari?"

"Oh, I was just going to watch Code Geass: The Abridged Series on YouTube." Akuro casually replied quietly, so none of the other students could hear.

Negi's eyes widened at that a bit as he saw the internet browser pop up on the laptop. Shortly after Negi graduated, he, Akuro, Nekane, and Anya decided to spend a week together before everyone went their separate ways. One of those times was spent watching a Code Geass Season One marathon, and after it was done, it left quite an impression on Negi, and Nekane made Akuro swear that he wouldn't let Negi watch the second season until he was older, after hearing a bit about it on the internet and Akuro himself.

Anyway, Negi watched him as he secretly accessed YouTube, thanks to his computer's wireless internet connection to Mahora's network. Taking out a pair of earphones, Akuro whispered, "Actually, let's just watch episode eight of Gundam 00…"

Hearing what Akuro said made Negi slump as he said in his own whisper, "But I haven't seen the first seven episodes yet!"

"Ah, don't worry, I'll lend you the first DVD after class."

"Really?"

"Of course, so let's just watch."

As the two started watching, Sayo had slipped in and pressed her ear against Akuro's so that she could hear while watching it after hearing what Akuro said, though it made Akuro shiver at the touch at first. Meanwhile, the rest of the class was a bit curious as to what their two teachers were doing, as Ayaka started collecting the papers that had each of the groups' names on it. When she went over to the podium, Ayaka spoke up saying, "Here are the groups for the class trip Negi-sen-!"

Ayaka saw what they were watching on the laptop and she shrieked, "Just what are you two doing?"

Everyone looked towards their direction as Akuro replied, "We're just watching a show while we wait. Is that so wrong?"

"It's the middle of class! You two shouldn't be doing something like this!"

"…Well, I guess-."

Suddenly, the door opened, making Akuro quickly minimize the video, and open a Word document in a flash. As Sayo pouted, both of them looked up and saw Shizuna standing there as they took the earphones out of their ears. She looked at them rather peculiarly as Akuro asked, "Shizuna-sensei, is something the matter?"

A smile came across Shizuna's face as she informed them, "There's an emergency staff meeting right now, and this first period is considered a study period for now. Please come with me you two."

"Oh, right." Negi said, as both he and Akuro sighed a breath of relief. As they followed, Shizuna said to Akuro in particular, "You know, watching anime in the middle of class isn't allowed Akari-sensei~."

"Uh, yeah, right…" Akuro said sheepishly as the three of them walked out of the classroom, but not before Akuro informed the class, "Ayaka-san, could you please input the list for me please? Oh, and be careful with that laptop please, it really doesn't belong to me, but a friend of mine."

"Okay Akari-sensei." Ayaka assured him.

As the teachers left, Ayaka started to type down the names for the six groups, while some of the other students, which consisted of half of 3-A, went up to the front, making her ask, "What are all of you doing?"

Haruna was the one who answered for the class, "Isn't it obvious? Akari-sensei said that this laptop doesn't belong to her, so it must belong to that Akuro person that she mentioned."

In her seat, Setsuna perked up at that as she started to get curious, while Ayaka said, "And what does that have to do with anything?"

Then Kazumi added in suggestively, "Well, there might be pictures of Negi stored on the laptop Iincho."

Hearing that seemed to convince Ayaka in an instant, then she told everyone, "Well, let me finish what Akari-sensei told me to do first, then we can start digging around."

A cheer came from the class as Chisame looked at them and thought, 'Oh man, and I thought that this class couldn't sink any lower. Gotta remember to put passwords on my computer from now on…'

After Ayaka was done with the group lists, she closed the document and was treated to the desktop background, which showed a picture of Akuro, Negi, Nekane, and Anya in front of a house. Ayaka squealed at the sight of Negi smiling at the picture, while the others were quite interested in the picture. Konoka looked at the picture and focused on Akuro's face and thought, 'Wow, he's grown so much, I almost didn't recognize him, though he's still got that slightly girly face…'

"Hmm, I wonder who all those people with Negi-kun are." Makie wondered, looking curious.

Ayaka noticed that it was starting to get crowded and she said, "Everyone, please back away, and I'll move the laptop to my desk."

Everyone did just that, and when Ayaka moved the laptop to her desk, almost everyone in the class started to crowd around her desk, curious to take a look. Looking at the picture, Konoka said, "The guy behind Negi is Akuro Sakuragi."

"Oh, and how do you know that Konoka-san?" Kazumi asked suspiciously, as she and Haruna had grins on their faces.

Konoka blushed a bit as she told everyone, "Well, I knew him from when we were still children, as Father took him in…"

"Oooh, sounds juicy…" Haruna said with a look that wanted to know more. Some of the others were looking at the picture as Fuuka asked, "Then who's the girl beside Sakuragi-san?"

"That must be the big sister that Negi keeps talking about," Asuna replied, "She sure looks pretty…"

Konoka was busy looking between Nekane's picture and Asuna, looking like she was comparing them as she said, "You know, I can see why Negi says you remind him of his sister. The two of you kind of look alike when you let your hair down Asuna."

"Really?" Asuna asked, as she removed the bells from her hair. With her hair down now, most of the class were comparing Nekane's picture to Asuna, and they could see the similarities between the two, something that really peeved Ayaka, though it didn't show on her face. As Asuna retied her hair up, Ayaka started going to the documents on Akuro's laptop, though they didn't find anything of interest as she accessed the video folder. To everyone's surprise, they found a lot of videos that consisted of anime, and they saw several known titles as Gundam SEED, Code Geass, and Familiar of Zero, just to name a few. Haruna whistled as she commented, "Wow, talk about all the anime stored on this thing. This Akuro must be quite the anime nut."

After Ayaka got out of the video folder, she went on to the picture folder and said, "Oh, I hope there's something in here…"

Clicking on it, everyone was looking forward to seeing all the pictures, but to their disappointment, they only found five pictures in the whole folder. Everyone looked slightly disappointed as Kazumi said, "Aw, only five pictures? That sucks…"

"You know, I don't think we should keep doing this…" Asuna said hesitantly.

"It's a little late for that Asuna." Yue told her, as Ayaka clicked on the first picture. It was the one that was on the desktop and nobody commented on that since they already saw it. She went over to the second one, and it showed Nekane and 'Akari' together, though 'Akari' had a look of embarrassment on 'her' face as 'she' was in a dress that was identical to Nekane's and she was holding onto 'her' shoulder rather tightly from what they noticed. Everyone giggled at that as Haruna commented, "It looks like Akari-sensei's a bit embarrassed to be in a dress."

"You know, I've always seen Akari-sensei wearing pants instead of a skirt, except on her first day here." Misa noted.

"Maybe she's a tomboy?" Sakurako guessed.

"That would make sense, Akari-sensei doesn't act very feminine, and she carries around something that looks like the thing that Sakurazaki-san has." Madoka replied.

Ayaka went onto the next one, where it showed Akuro sitting on a rock, looking up to the sky that made him look like he was zoning out. Negi was behind him, holding a worm in his hand and making a 'shush' motion towards the camera. Everyone giggled at that picture as everyone had an idea what was going on there. Ayaka looked at it with interest before going on to the next one.

The fourth one was an interesting one, as it had a younger looking Akuro, along with four others, making it three boys and two girls in total, standing in front of an old man looking proud in the picture. They looked like they graduated from what looked like Kendo, due to their attire, and the girls wondered what it was, when Konoka recognized the old man and said, "Hey, that's Yojiro-oji-san!"

"Who?"

"Yojiro Konoe, he's my grandfather's younger brother, and an expert kendo fighter from what I've heard. Weird, I never heard that Kuro-chan met Yojiro-ojisan before, not even Akari-sensei mentioned it…"

Kazumi's ears perked up at that, and so did Haruna's as Kazumi asked, "Kuro-chan? It sounds like you're close to this Akuro, huh Konoe-san?"

"Sounds juicy enough!" Haruna said with an interested grin.

Konoka explained, "There's nothing to it really, Akuro is a childhood friend of mine and Se-chan's, though I haven't seen him in eight years though…"

Hearing the bit of sadness in Konoka's voice, no one asked for more information, though hearing that Setsuna knew Akuro too was interesting enough. Speaking of Setsuna, she was surprised to hear about Yojiro and thought, 'Yojiro-dono is one of the masters of the Shinmei-ryu style and is the holder of Ryuhana. If Akuro was trained by him, then he must be strong, since the rumor is that Yojiro-dono's training methods are really harsh, even among Shimei-ryu standards…'

Some of the other students were studying the picture and when a few eyes went over to Yenta Asakura, Yuna said, "Hey, doesn't this red head remind you of Asakura?"

That question made the students look at the person Yuna was pointed at. True enough, Yenta had that grin that looked the same as Kazumi's and some of the other students noticed that his hair color was the same as Kazumi's too. Kazumi herself was looking at his picture, finding him familiar and trying hard to figure out why. It suddenly came to her and she patted her fist onto her hand saying, "I remember now! That's my cousin Yenta!"

"Cousin?" Akira asked.

Everyone else looked at Kazumi with interest as she said, "Yeah, Yenta and his family were quite close to mine, and everyone used to joke on how he and I looked more like twins then cousins actually."

The students took another look at the picture and they did see some resemblances, though the grin on Yenta's face was the most notable. Then they took a look at the other three, where the last boy had straight black hair that was above his shoulders, as well as grey eyes as he smiled. The two girls were actually twins, both also having black hair, but surprisingly had forest green highlights that stood out. Their eyes were different however with the one on the left having sky blue eyes, while the one on the right having emerald green eyes. That made Fuuka say, "I wonder who those other three are?"

"Maybe Akari-sensei knows…" Fumika wondered.

"Hmm, there's only one picture left. I hope it's one with Negi-sensei." Ayaka hopefully said. Asuna just shook her head and whispered, "I doubt it…"

Going to the last picture, Ayaka was disappointed to see that the last picture didn't have Negi in it, though it did have Akuro with two females, looking a bit tense in the picture. Both the women looked the same, and the students guessed were sisters, though the younger one seemed just as tense, while the older one just looked plain relaxed. The class surrounding Akuro's laptop could tell that this was probably the most recent one, since Akuro looked the oldest in this picture compared to the others.

This time, the class was confused by this, since no one could figure out that one, though Ayaka speculated, "Hmm, looks like Sakuragi-san knows quite a few kendo people…"

"You're right, but those two look familiar for some reason…" Konoka said, trying to figure out exactly how. Asuna noticed a katana lying down near their feet and saw some writing on the sheath, and she said, "Ao-ya-ma? Aoyama, what's that?"

Setsuna was surprised to hear the Aoyama name, yet kept her silence as Konoka found the name to be very familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Setsuna thought, 'Aoyama? What does Akuro have to do with one of the founding families of the Shinmei-ryu style?'

Before anyone could say anything else, they heard voices approaching and recognized them as their teachers coming back. Everyone scrambled and Ayaka quickly put the laptop back on the podium and took her seat, just as Negi and Akuro walked in with concerned looks on their faces. As they walked up to the podium, Akuro noticed how his laptop was closed and asked, "Did you girls do something while we were out?"

"No sensei!" The class replied, a bit too easily in Akuro's opinion, and he probably figured that they did do something, but decided not to pursue it. He knew that he didn't keep anything on the laptop that would probably bust his identity or reveal that magic exists anyway. All that information was kept on a separate portable drive for safety purposes. That's when Ayaka said, "I've finished what you've asked me to do Akari-sensei."

"Yes, thank you Ayaka-san. Now Negi-sensei here has something important to tell you all." Akuro told hem.

As Negi announced to the class about a small black market ring hiding within Mahora, and warning everyone to be on the lookout when preparing for the class trip, Akuro took a quick look and saw that his pictures were accessed, looking at the recent documents in the Start menu. Sighing, he shut it down and looked at the class, and saw that Evangeline and Chachamaru were missing again. He thought, 'Wonder what the chibi-vampire is doing at this time?'

* * *

_Mahora Academy – campus_

After classes, Akuro and Negi separated, with Akuro going into town for a few things when he was approached by someone that made him stop. Looking at the person in question, he saw that it was a woman with long light blond hair and dark eyes that were behind a pair of glasses. She was wearing a formal white suit with a black skirt, and she was holding a sword wrapped in a blue cloth, and Akuro sensed that she was a Shinmei-ryu swordswoman.

As the woman approached, she asked, "Are you Akari Sakuraba?"

"Yes, and who might you be?" Akuro asked politely.

"I'm Touko Kuzunoha, and I'm here to ask you a few questions." Touko replied.

Akuro got suspicious of that and asked, "May I ask why?"

"Let's just say that there are a few questions that need to be answered about your identity, Sakuraba-sensei." Touko carefully worded.

That got Akuro thinking, as Konoemon wouldn't do something like that to him, since he's in the know-how about everything. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "If it's about my identity, go ask Dean Konoe all about it."

Touko was silent at that, but Akuro caught a hint of frustration from her. That made him think, 'She must've already asked him, but considering it's a secret, he must've been tightlipped about it.'

Looking at Touko, Akuro said, "If you don't have anything else to say, please excuse me."

Akuro was about to walk off when he felt the edge of a katana at his throat and promptly stopped. Touko had her katana out and pointed at Akuro's throat as she said, "I didn't want to do this, but if you don't come in peacefully, then I'll have to take you in by force."

Keeping calm, Akuro asked, "Just why do you want to take in so bad?" Akuro wanted to add a joke in, but decided against it for obvious reasons.

"I've never received a message about a Shinmei-ryu swordswoman arriving here at Mahora as a teacher, especially someone as young as you, but for some reason your information is being kept under tight security. Who are you really, and are you really a Shinmei-ryu swordswoman?" Touko asked with suspicion.

This situation was really making Akuro uncomfortable and also wished that Konoemon had somehow better explained the situation to Touko. Reacting quickly, Akuro managed to get away from the katana with a ground contraction and drew Yatsusuna in a defensive stance, while putting down his book and laptop bags on the ground. Apparently, that action made Touko go on the offensive and she started to attack Akuro, forcing him to block and dodge every strike she made at him.

The swordfight went on for a few minutes of traded assaults, and Akuro thought, 'Damn, she's good. A seasoned veteran that's for sure!'

'Hmm, she's not that bad. I haven't been able to land a hit on her yet…she must be Shinmei-ryu then, to be this good. I guess it's time to take it up a notch!' Touko thought, before pushing more power into her strikes.

Akuro felt them getting tougher and he started dodging them thinking, 'Shoot, if this goes on any longer I might actually lose this one! Not to mention she's starting to have this weird look in her eye!'

During the fight Akuro tried reasoning with her saying, "Wait a minute, if we go-!" He had to duck at a swing Touko made towards his head, "-to the Dean, we can explain!"

"Hmph, for all I know, you probably brainwashed him!" Touko shouted as she performed the Zanganken (Rock Splitting Sword) technique, which Akuro barely dodged, though it grazed his left arm, slicing the sleeve open. However, the statue that was behind him wasn't lucky as it got sliced diagonally in half, causing it to slip and crash to the ground.

Akuro gulped at that, but kept his cool as he hissed, "What the heck are you doing? Do you want us to be noticed?"

Touko realized what she just did and her guard slipped, and at that moment Akuro decided to close in on her. Touko saw what was happening and readied herself as Akuro gave a hard sideways slash from his right. Raising her katana up to block it, Touko didn't realize that Akuro was aiming for her katana, so when she blocked, the force was so great, that Touko's katana flew out of her hand spinning.

Bewildered at the sudden outcome, Touko was caught totally off guard, allowing Akuro to get a swift, yet powerful ki-powered punch to her abdomen, knocking her out cold in a heartbeat. He caught her before she fell with his free hand and set her down gently onto the ground. Sighing he thought, 'Man, it's been a while since I've felt that I've feared for my life so much. I get the feeling if Kuzunoha-san really wanted me dead, then I'd be in a lot worse condition, or really be dead…'

Looking around, Akuro heard a number of people approaching and thought, 'Crap, I better take her to the Dean right now. Hopefully this can get resolved before the end of the day…'

Picking up Touko's katana and putting it back in it's sheath, Akuro quickly picked up Touko and slung her over his shoulder and ran off towards Konoemon's office. He prayed that no one would see him running towards the Dean's office, but he seriously doubted that would happen. He thought, 'Man, this makes me feel like I'm kidnapping someone here!'

A few minutes later, Setsuna arrived on the scene, but found nothing but a sliced statue. She thought, 'That must've been Touko-san's, from the blast of ki I felt. But who was she fighting against? I hope it wasn't Akari-sensei…'

* * *

_Mahora – Dean's office_

Konoemon was going through his usual routine of going through paperwork when the doors to his office suddenly opened, and through them came Akuro with an unconscious Touko over his shoulder. Sighing at the sight, Konoemon knew that this was going to happen sooner or later, with Touko's sudden inquisition about 'Akari Sakuraba' a few days ago. He hoped that this would actually happen after the Kyoto trip, since it would give him time to think of something better when Akuro was gone. Now he had to deal with this and he asked, "Ohohoho, I see that trouble has come already. So what happened?"

Akuro gently put Touko down on the nearby couch, then went up to Konoemon's desk, putting Touko's katana down in front of it before saying, "I was attacked, plain as day." He held up his torn sleeve to show him.

"I see, well I guess we have no choice but to let her in on this."

"Are you sure? I mean, she won't say anything to the guys in Kyoto, will she?"

A nod came from Konoemon as he explained, "I'm quite sure, she works for me and I I'm sure that she'll understand once we explain the circumstances."

Akuro looked skeptical about that as he remembered how a few students saw him on his way towards the office. Thankfully neither Kazumi nor Haruna saw him, but the school's going to be buzzing about rumors about 'Akari' now, and Akuro shook his head at that. That's when he heard a moan and both he and Konoemon turned to see Touko starting to stir.

Touko regained conciseness and grabbed her stomach in pain, making Akuro inwardly wince when he remembered how hard he punched her and hoped that it didn't leave a bruise. She moaned a bit as her vision started coming back to her and she said, "Huh? Where am I…?"

"Ah Touko-san, I see you're back with us." Konoemon commented.

"Eh? Dean Konoe? How did I get-?" Touko started, until she saw Akuro standing in front of him and she jumped up in an instant. However her abdomen still hurt a bit and she winced while saying, "Ugh, you bitch…"

"Wow, first time someone's called me a bitch." Akuro said with a smirk. Konoemon smiled under his mustache and said, "Touko-san, please sit down. I'll explain everything."

When Konoemon explained Akuro's circumstances, Touko thought it was a joke until Akuro removed his glamour, showing his true appearance. She was shocked to see Akuro's true appearance, and after more explanations, Touko understood what was going on as she listened in silence. She said, "I've heard of you before Akuro Sakuragi, something about an incident with Konoe-ojou-sama eight years ago. I didn't know it was that serious, and it doesn't make much sense either, now that I think about it…"

"I know Touko-san, I fear that there might've been something else at work back then, but for now, I need you to keep this to yourself for now." Konoemon said to Touko.

Looking from Konoemon to Akuro, Touko sighed and said, "Alright, but in the future Dean Konoe, please be truthful when it comes to issues like this."

Akuro watched Touko walk out with her katana in hand, although her free hand was still clutching her stomach. He sighed and casually asked, "Is there anything else?"

"No, not that I'm aware of…wait, come back tomorrow morning. I want to talk to you about your living conditions Akuro-kun."

"Alright then, I'll see you later tomorrow Dean Konoe."

Hitching his bags back on his shoulders, Akuro reapplied his glamour back on and left the office. As he walked, he looked down at his torn sleeve and thought, 'Ugh, I gotta fix this somehow. Thankfully I have a spare just in case, but how long will this go on?'

That's when he remembered that Negi had invited him over for dinner and that Konoka was cooking special since 'Akari' was coming over. That made him smile as Sayo floated up to him and said, "Hi Akari-sensei, where you going?"

"I'm just heading over to Negi's place for dinner… How on earth did you find me?" Akuro replied with interest at the end.

"I'm not sure… I was just exploring the place and suddenly, I felt like I was following something…" Sayo replied with uncertainty.

"Weird…" Akuro whispered to himself. Shaking his head Akuro said, "Well, I'll be going now. I have dinner plans, so I'll see you back at the hotel later, alright Sayo?"

"Sure thing!" Sayo said happily as she floated off. Akuro gave a sympathetic smile and thought, 'It must be hard being a ghost…' He then walked away to the dorms where Negi would be waiting for him, mostly because he wanted to borrow the DVD containing the first seven episodes of Gundam 00.


	9. Singing and Cursing

Note: this update starts at Ch.7, so go back if you're reading this first…

* * *

Chapter 9 – Singing and Cursing

_Mahora – Dean's office_

Three days before the Kyoto school trip starts, Akuro was meeting with Konoemon about his living conditions. He was taken out of first period by Shizuna saying that the Dean wanted to see him for some reason. Looking at each other, Konoemon asked, "So, how is finding an apartment working for you?"

"It's going along fine, but I still haven't found a place that's close to Mahora Academy though." Akuro admitted.

"Hmm, you know, what about the offer to live in the dorms for-."

"You know that I can't accept that. Negi is fine since he's just a kid, but I'm still under this glamour, and there's a risk of someone catching me if I accidentally drop it, especially if I live with one of the students."

'Not to mention being in disguise for so long is starting to affect my thinking.' Akuro mentally added.

"Well, I already have a solution to that Akuro-kun. There's a room in the dorms that's being used as a storage room and it hasn't been cleaned in a while. It's actually next to the room where my granddaughter, Asuna-kun, and Negi-kun are staying." Konoemon told him.

Akuro gave him a look as he asked suspiciously, "And why hasn't it been cleaned? Not to mention, shouldn't someone be living in that room?"

Folding his hands together, Konoemon explained, "Well, actually, the room is cursed, so to speak."

"Cursed?"

"Yes…a while ago, one of the students that lived in that room was a mage-in-training, like Negi and yourself. One day that student tried casting a complex spell for practice, but it somehow backfired, causing the room to become cursed, and anyone who enters starts to feel ill, among other things. Various mages have tried to remove the curse, but they haven't been able to remove it completely."

Akuro looked skeptical as he took the information in before asking, "Not to be rude or anything Dean Konoe, but what makes you think that I can remove the curse?"

"…Let's just say that you tend to do things differently then the other mages." Konoemon said cryptically.

That didn't help Akuro as he asked, "Well, what happens if I don't take the offer?"

"Now that would be a shame, but I'd wish you good luck on finding an apartment while you continue to pay for that hotel room, hohoho." Konoemon replied.

Akuro had a feeling that there was something going on, especially where finding an apartment was concerned. He sighed and asked, "So, what is this cursed room all about, Dean Konoe?"

"Here you go," Konoemon hands Akuro a few papers, "In there you'll find all the information that the mages could gather about the room and the curse, but I must warn you, the information is a tad bit out of date, and shoddy at best."

Akuro took a look at the papers in his hands, and read every detail about the curse in the room. Looking up he asked, "Why hasn't the curse started to spread throughout the dorm?"

"Very powerful wards were put up to contain the curse to that very room, but they'll need to be replaced every ten years, which the deadline happens to be during the summer break." Konoemon explained to him.

A nod came from Akuro as he asked, "So when do I get started on this?"

"You can do it right now Akuro-kun. Its better this way since the students are now in class, so no one will come around if something happens."

"…I guess that's alright, but just to let you know, just because I'm solving this problem of yours, doesn't mean that I'm going to move into the dorms soon afterwards!"

"Ohohoho, we'll see about that Akuro-kun." Konoemon laughed.

Sighing in frustration, Akuro left the office with papers in hand, wondering what the Dean was planning. Konoemon folded his hands and thought, 'Let's just hope Ryuhana's power is strong enough to break that curse if it comes to that…'

Outside the office, Akuro found Sayo waiting for him outside. Earlier, she decided to follow him instead of heading to class, and when Akuro tried to argue about it, Sayo stated that no one would notice her missing, much to her grief. Akuro couldn't argue with that and reluctantly decided to let her tag along. Now that he was out of the office, Akuro gave a light nod as a signal to follow, so not to alert the secretary that was busy working. As they walked down a hallway Sayo asked, "What's going on Akari-sensei?"

"It seems that I have to exorcise a curse out of one of the rooms in the middle school dorms." Akuro explained, "I'm heading there right now since all the students are in class, so there won't be anyone around to notice. I gotta warn you, it's going to be pretty dangerous, though I'm not expecting anything too bad, and I don't blame you if you want to head to class instead. To be honest though, I wouldn't mind having you along Sayo, I'd appreciate the company."

Sayo looked like she was on the verge of tears hearing that Akuro wanted her company and she said, "Of course Akuro-sensei, I'll come along!"

"Thanks Sayo." Was all Akuro said as the two of them headed towards the dorms, though Akuro had a weird feeling that something was going to happen.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – 3-A classroom_

As class started, everyone noticed how Akuro was missing from the class and before Negi could start teaching, Kazumi put her hand up and Negi said, "Yes Asakura-san?"

"Um, where's Akari-sensei?" Kazumi asked, and the other students nodded, wondering where the teacher's assistant was too.

Negi thought about it, remembering what Akuro told him early in the morning and replied, "Oh, she was called in by the Dean for something very important. A special job, or something like that I think…"

"Grandfather did?" Konoka whispered to herself. Setsuna wondered if it was related to the Shinmei-ryu, while Asuna wondered if it was a magic issue or something of the sort. The rest of the class just wondered, while those like Evangeline and Mana didn't care about it as Negi started class.

As class went on, Negi suddenly remembered about the room next door, and how there were invisible seals all over it that were done by magic. He wondered what that room was all about, since Konoemon didn't tell him anything about it when he first moved in, except that it wasn't safe to enter, with the cover story being that the room was a storage room that was locked and no one could find the key.

Shaking his head, Negi thought, 'Why did I think about that just now?' He cleared his head and went back to teaching, not knowing that Akuro was on his way to the room to clear it of it's curse.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – dormitory_

Akuro and Sayo were in front of the room that had a bunch of seals on it when Akuro touched it. He took out the key that was within the papers that Konoemon gave him and pushed it into the doorknob's lock. At that instant, the seals on the door faded, and both Akuro and Sayo felt something foreboding as Akuro unlocked the door. He turned to his ghostly companion and asked, "You ready?"

"Uh huh." Sayo said with a nod.

Taking a deep breath, Akuro turned the knob and opened the door. Akuro felt an odd chill as he and Sayo went into the room, expecting something horrible. Closing the door behind them, Akuro and Sayo were surprised to find a completely normal room, though it looked more like an apartment from what Akuro could tell. He remembered from the papers that this used to be a dorm manager's room and was modeled as a single room apartment with a separate bath.

The two stepped around the room, and Akuro coughed a bit at the amount of dust that he was kicking up. Both he and Sayo had that weird feeling, yet neither of them could tell where it was coming from as Akuro started inspecting parts of the room. After finding nothing out of the ordinary, Akuro said, "Weird, there's nothing here…"

Sayo was about to say something when a magic circle suddenly appeared underneath them and it started flashing brightly. Sayo started to panic as she asked frantically, "Akuro-sensei, what's going on?"

"I don't know!" Akuro shouted as he reached for Yatsusuna. Suddenly the circle flashed brightly, blinding the two and filing the room with light. When it died, the two of them were nowhere to be seen inside the room, and outside, the door locked itself again and the key inside the lock vanished.

* * *

_Unknown Place_

A moment later, Akuro found himself on the ground of what appeared to be the outside of an Egyptian pyramid surrounded by a lush forest that looked like came from England. The scene looked totally out of place as he got up and unsheathed Yatsusuna. He even took off the cloth that was wrapped around Ryuhana and slung it over his back, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Akuro also noticed that his glamour somehow got cancelled and was back to his original appearance as he called out, "Sayo, you there?"

"I'm here Akuro-sensei…" Sayo said as she floated up to him from behind the tree. She looked surprised to see Akuro without his glamour for a second before she took a look around and asked, "Where are we?"

"I have no idea, but I'm pretty sure that we're not at Mahora anymore…" Akuro said as he continued to take in his surroundings.

Akuro noticed that he was standing on a platform that had a star magic circle on top of it, but didn't have a clue what it was for. Looking ahead he saw an entrance into the pyramid, and figured that he'd find some answers in there. Turning around to Sayo, he nodded his head towards the pyramid as he said, "So, you up for a little adventure Sayo?"

Sayo found it quite exciting as she nodded, and she followed Akuro into the pyramid. She looked at it one more time and thought, 'Wow, I've never seen a real pyramid up close before!'

'With luck, maybe we can find an easy way out of wherever we are…' Akuro thought, clearly having different thoughts than Sayo as the two entered the pyramid.

* * *

_Pyramid interior_

A few minutes later, Akuro and Sayo were deep inside the pyramid as he sliced a shriveled up zombie in half with Yatsusuna thinking, 'Figures that this wouldn't be easy, and I should've expected something like this to be inside a freaky looking place!'

Akuro spun around and sliced a mummy in half that tried to sneak up on him. The two adventures had run into a number of undead, consisting of zombies and mummies, with Sayo scared out of her wits as she stuck close to Akuro in fright. Sayo got a bit too close to Akuro at times, and it gave Akuro a slight chill every time but he kept focused as the two went on. Down one corridor, he saw a number of skeletons approaching and he kept Yatsusuna in his left hand, while hold up his right hand saying, "Mucro est meus Animus, Sagitta Magica: twenty spirits of fire, gather unto me and strike at my enemy!"

Twenty fireballs appeared around Akuro's hand and shot themselves towards the skeletons, and when they hit, they exploded, blasting the skeletons to pieces. Sayo was amazed at that bit of magic as she said, "That was amazing Akuro-sensei!"

"Let's just pray that things don't get any worse, alright Sayo?" Akuro said as he sheathed Yatsusuna in the sheath that was tied to Ryuhana, and instead, took out two long knives that were hidden inside the lower sleeves of his shirt, which were a bit less than half the size of a katana. Sayo looked at him with a puzzled expression and Akuro explained, "The corridors are getting smaller, and a nodachi would be hard to wield here."

All Sayo did was nod in understanding, though a part of her was still confused as she saw a bunch of mummies approaching from up ahead. Akuro saw them too and thought, 'I'm starting to hate mummies…'

Charging right at them Akuro whispered, "Raimeiken!" Swinging the two knives right at the mummies, the lightning charged attacks tore right through the group of mummies, slicing them into pieces that made Akuro and Sayo cringe a bit at the sight. Taking a deep breath, though Akuro coughed a bit inhaling some of the stiff air, he said, "Let's keep moving…"

The two of them kept on going until they reached a big square chamber that made Akuro think of arenas for fighting. Suddenly the openings in front and back of the closed making Akuro mutter, "Jeez, you'd think we'd be in an RPG or something…"

There was a sudden rumbling and Akuro looked up to see a large demon with horns fall down from the high ceiling. Quickly putting away his dual knives and whipping out Yatsusuna, Akuro shouted, "Sayo, keep an eye out for any surprises while I deal with this!"

"R-roger Akuro-sensei!" Sayo shouted as she floated away from Akuro, while he dashed forward to engage the demon.

Akuro was handling the demon pretty well, but it was quite the fierce attacker, forcing him to keep some distance while using Sagitta Magica arrows to attack from a distance. To his frustration, he saw that the arrows had no effect on the demon, and it didn't help when Sayo shouted, "Sensei, mummies are starting to come out of the ground!"

Falling back to make some distance between him and the demon, Akuro looked around and saw that the mummies were coming out of the sand that lined the edge and used Fire Sagitta Magica arrows to take care of them while dodging attacks from the demon. Then he used Zanganken and Zanmaken against the demon, and while those Shinmei-ryu techniques did do damage to the demon, it wasn't enough as Akuro had hoped.

Sayo reported seeing more mummies pop up and Akuro knew that he had to finish this quickly, so pointing Yatsusuna like a staff, he chanted, "Mucro est meus Animus, Kenotētos Astrapsatō de Temetō! Dios Tukos!"

Akuro had charged forward and jumped up towards the demon's head, and when he swung down his sword, he had finished chanting the Axe of Lightning spell and it crashed down upon the demon's head, obliterating it instantly. The headless demon fell backwards and turned to dust, and surprisingly enough, the mummies did the same, leaving only him and Sayo in the chamber. As she flew back to him Akuro thought, 'Thank you for that book of offensive spells Nekane…'

To explain, Nekane had given Akuro a book of offensive spells as a present after he had graduated from the Magic Academy. When he asked why she gave it to him instead of Negi, she replied that it would be more useful in his hands, due to his Shinmei-ryu profession and when Negi was strong enough, he could let him take a look at it. That was enough reason for him to take the book and study that spell, and the Dios Tukos spell was one of the seven spells that he could remember by heart, since his mind was mostly focused on Shinmei-ryu techniques.

Taking a deep breath, Sayo looked around and saw the two doors opening up again as she said, "It looks like it's just us two now…"

"Thank goodness for that." Akuro muttered under his breath. Stretching a bit to make sure everything was alright, he spoke up saying, "Let's keep going, maybe we'll actually find something at the end of all this nonsense…"

Sayo just looked at Akuro oddly before the two of them continued on their way. As they moved Sayo thought, 'This is so unreal…'

* * *

_Pyramid interior – top floor_

A few hours had passed as Akuro continued to fight the monsters that were hiding in the pyramid, with Sayo acting as a lookout, though she did feel useless a bit since she couldn't actually fight or anything like that. Now they were on the top floor, and Akuro was resting in a side room that they stumbled upon. Panting, Akuro thought, 'I thought I was here to get rid of a curse, not go through a real-life RPG! The papers never said anything about this!'

Sayo was a bit concerned for Akuro, since he did sustain a few injuries during the fighting, though he managed to heal them with a healing spell. Even thought Sayo agreed to follow him, she wished that she could help him somehow, and not just be an additional lookout. That's when she saw him get up and say, "Let's keep moving, there's something powerful up ahead…"

The two went forward and Akuro cut through a pillar of bones that were blocking the way. That's when they came into a huge chamber that was bigger than the others that they found themselves in, and it looked quite grand. At the back was a big red circle with a kanji symbol for the word 'curse' in the inside, and in front of it was a bottle of some sort that Akuro couldn't tell from the distance that they were at. Sayo looked at the big symbol and asked, "Huh, 'curse'?"

"Hmm, could this be the source of the curse? And what's with that bottle?" Akuro muttered to himself as he took a step forward.

Following behind him, Sayo looked around until she saw something move from the corner and shouted, "Sensei, the corner!"

At that instant, whatever was hiding in the corner dashed towards Akuro but he made a fast circular motion while shouting, "Hyakuretsu Ōkazan!"

Whatever tried to attack Akuro was caught by the attack and there was a sickening slicing sound, which made Sayo look away and close her eyes on instinct. Taking a deep breath, Akuro looked at what he had just attacked, and to his disgust, he saw a ghoul-like monster that was sliced in half, lying dead on the floor. It stayed there for a second before it turned to ash, making Akuro say, "Now, that was just disgusting…"

Sayo opened her eyes, and saw that it was gone and sighed a breath of relief. She didn't admit it, but a part of her was scared the moment the two of them set foot into the pyramid. At times she wanted to run away, but her resolve to stay by Akuro was stronger than the urge to run away. Now though, she had this weird feeling of foreboding and it got stronger the closer they got to the symbol.

Akuro felt it too when the symbol started glowing, and the bottle started giving off magical energy as he looked at it and said, "Is magic being…extracted from that bottle?"

The magical energy seemed to be gathering in front of the symbol and was starting to materialize into a shape. Akuro and Sayo moved back as the energy took the form of a golem that had four arms, two of which had scimitars in it's hands as it landed on the ground, making it shake. Akuro held Yatsusuna in a firm grip when the golem threw a punch at Akuro, making him dodge. However he didn't see something else coming for him, and before he knew it, a blob of ink fell on his face, which effectively blinded him.

Trying to get the ink off of his face, Akuro nearly got struck down by one of the golem's swords, if not for straggling around. The impact however sent Akuro flying and he crashed down to the ground in a heap. He tried to get the ink out of his eyes, but it was stuck there as the golem rounded upon him.

Sayo was in a panic seeing Akuro in his blinded state, and when the golem lifted both it's swords to strike down upon him, she shouted, "Sensei behind you!"

Akuro heard the warning and managed to dodge just in time, and ended up near Sayo. When she saw that the ink had somehow glued his eyes shut, she wondered what to do when Akuro said, "Sayo, are you there?"

"I'm here Akuro-sensei!" Sayo replied quickly. Akuro sheathed Yatsusuna as he said, "I need you to be my eyes until I can get this ink off of me. Can you do that?"

"S-sure thing sensei!" Sayo replied, though a part of her was scared to be facing the golem. She guided Akuro around to avoid the golem's attacks while he tried to get the ink off, though a few times she messed up, nearly getting Akuro sliced in half or squished by the golem's attacks. Akuro's vision was getting better, though it was still too blurry for him to make anything out.

Five minutes later, Akuro had gotten the ink out of his eyes, just in time to hear Sayo shout, "Sensei above you!"

Akuro instantly whipped out Yatsusuna from it's sheath and swung it above him shouting, "Zanganken!"

Yatsusuna intercepted the golem's fist that tried to crush Akuro, and to his shock, the nodachi only dug into the golem's fist a little bit, when Zanganken should've split the golem's fist in half. Also, Akuro wasn't expecting the extreme strength of the golem and it quickly overwhelmed him, forcing him to pull back before the golem's strength crushed him.

Trying again, Akuro swung his sword as he shouted, "Zankōsen!"

A blast of ki was released from Akuro's blade in the form of a crescent slash and headed towards the golem. The golem raised an arm to block it and when it collided, Akuro was expecting the golem's arm to be blown off, or at least a chunk, but it only left a few scratches, making his eyes pop out in shock. He quickly recovered from the shock as the golem slammed a scimitar down towards Akuro, making him dodge the strike.

Trying a number of Shinmei-ryu techniques on the golem, he was shocked to find that they weren't having much of an effect on it. Even switching to magic didn't help, as the spells he cast weren't very effective against the golem. He even tried to use the Axe of Lightning spell, which was the strongest spell he could remember at the moment, and it only managed to take off a chunk of the golem as it was hit with the full blast. Seeing his efforts weren't getting anywhere, he spat, "What the heck is with this thing? It's strong against anything I throw at it!"

Sayo couldn't help but watch helplessly as parts of the golem were starting to regenerate, which made Akuro shake his head. He was getting tired from using the Shinmei-ryu techniques and magic spells against the golem, and knew that with his current weakened strength, he couldn't pull off the stronger Shinmei-ryu techniques that he learned from Yojiro. That's when he felt Ryuhana slightly shaking on his back and he remembered what Yojiro said to him about Ryuhana being the Shinmei-ryu sword that was specifically made to destroy demons, as well as serving as an exorcism tool.

Sheathing Yatsusuna, Akuro was about to grab Ryuhana when he hesitated. As he dodged the golem's attacks and kept his distance, Akuro's mind went back to the discussion he had with Yojiro concerning him handing Ryuhana down to him.

* * *

_Flashback – __Konoe dojo, four and a half years ago_

_ Akuro was by himself with Yojiro, with the elderly sensei holding Ryuhana in his hands, holding it out to Akuro. He was surprised to say the least and asked, "What…why are you giving me Ryuhana sensei? Out of the five of us, Chihaya and Yenta are the best, so why give me that sacred blade?"_

_ Yojiro had a furrowed look on his face as he explained, "Ryuhana is a…peculiar Shinmei-ryu blade. It chooses it's wielders instead of the other way around. Chihaya and Yenta would be able to__ wield the blade, but they wouldn't be able to bring out it's special abilities. In short, it would be an ordinary blade in their hands. Only chosen Shinmei-ryu practitioners can bring out the blade's abilities."_

_ "What makes you so sure that Ryuhana chose me to be it's wielder?" Akuro asked, still unsure about the whole decision._

_ "…Ryuhana has been reacting to you for quite a while now." Yojiro explained after a pause, "As it's current wielder, I can somewhat feel it from the blade. Whenever you go near it, it seems to start reacting. I know this because it chose me the same way, during my training with my old sensei, who was the wielder before me."_

_ Akuro just stood there silent as Yojiro went on, "I know you consider yourself the weakest of the five of you, but I know that you have as much skill and talent as the others. Ryuhana sees something special within you and that's why it chose you."_

_ A snort came from Akuro as he thought bitterly, 'Yeah right, those bastards in the Kansai Magic Association sure didn't think so…'_

_ Yojiro just sighed and said, "The moment you take Ryuhana from me, you become it's new wielder and owner. Who knows, maybe it chose you because you might encounter problems that would require it's assistance."_

_ Knowing how stubborn his sensei could be, Akuro reached out and took Ryuhana into his hands. He felt a strange feeling, like something was bonding with him, and he shivered a bit saying, "Whoa, what was that?"_

_ A smile escaped Yojiro's lips as he said, "Well, it's done now, and I know that you're worthy enough to wield it, along with your personal nodachi Yatsusuna."_

_ "I still need to get stronger though…" Akuro told him._

_ Yojiro kept on smiling as he said, "You will, in time…and as I said, you might need Ryuhana one day."

* * *

_

_Present time_

"I guess today is one of those days…" Akuro muttered to himself. His resolve steeled itself as he drew Ryuhana. Sayo saw this and noticed that Ryuhana looked different from Yatsusuna in a few ways. First of was the handle, which was fashioned like a katana that was missing it's guard, and in the middle of the blade that was the length of a long knife, as well as being close to the hilt, was a light blue oval that was straight at the sides parallel to the edges of the special nodachi. Sayo thought it looked like some kind of container, and other than that, the blade itself looked ordinary, but she felt something powerful coming from the blade the moment Akuro pulled it out and held it in a battle stance.

Akuro felt the power too and thought, 'I only had to draw this blade once before, and that was when I was still under Yojiro-sensei's tutelage. I wonder what makes this time so special…'

That's when the golem decided to interrupt his thoughts and slam both scimitars down upon him, which made him jump back and backed him against the slanted wall.

'Oh yeah, that…' Akuro thought sarcastically. Gripping Ryuhana, he felt the power coming from the blade as he charged forward. The golem went on the offensive and used it's scimitars to try and crush Akuro, but he was oddly calm as he swung Ryuhana towards the golem's scimitars while whispering, "Zanganken!"

In a flash, the scimitar blades were sliced in half, with the pieces falling down with a crash on either side of Akuro. The golem was caught off guard by the sudden action but it threw away the stubs in it's hands that used to be it's scimitars. Sayo was surprised by the sudden outcome, and she watched as Akuro started attacking the golem with his attacks actually being effective against the golem, though it's regeneration rate was still a problem, as attacks that tore off parts of the golem kept regenerating, thanks to that supply of energy that was coming from the bottle.

Speaking of the bottle, Sayo went over to it, despite the bad vibes she got from the curse on the wall. Inspecting it, she saw that it looked like a castle inside a bottle, something that she wasn't expecting. She thought, 'What on earth is this?'

Akuro in the meantime, found the regeneration issue a huge problem, especially since it seemed endless. Despite Ryuhana's power, he felt very drained and was pushed to the limit with this thing. He thought to himself, 'I can't use the Zantetsuken finishing technique since it would probably kill me in this state, especially how hard I fought on my way up this pyramid…'

Remembering that he saw a red core in the golem's chest when he sent a ki blast at the golem, Akuro thought, 'I hope this works.'

'Mucro est meus Animus, Kenotētos Astrapsatō de Temetō.' Akuro chanted in his mind. Delaying the spell, he quickly held Ryuhana and charged forward saying, "Shinmei-ryu Secret technique: Kyokudai Raimeiken!"

Ryuhana was charged with lightning and as he swung down he shouted, "Dios Tukos! Thunderclap Axe!"

Kyokudai Raieiken and Axe of Lightning combined to form a massive burst of lightning that crashed down upon the golem, incinerating the top half into oblivion at the blast, and the force of the combined spell and technique blew Akuro backwards and sent him crashing and rolling on the floor, while Sayo herself was nearly blown away by the blast as she covered her eyes.

When the dust cleared, Akuro slowly got up shaking as he and Sayo took a look at the golem. The entire upper half of the golem was gone, with the waist looking like it was melted in several places. On of the legs seemed to be cracked and it gave away, sending the entire lower body crashing down into the ground in a heap of rubble. Then the rubble started vanishing like it was turning to dust and blown away to the wind.

Sayo went over to Akuro's side as he struggled to stay upright, using Ryuhana as a crutch. She looked worried as she asked, "Akuro-sensei…?"

"I'm fine Sayo, just that combined move took a lot out of me at once." Akuro said, waving it off while it was obvious that he was still out of it for a bit.

Looking towards the symbol, Akuro saw that a part of it had a crack on the wall, as if it was weakened a bit. Heading towards it, he and Sayo took a look at it again when Akuro raised Ryuhana and slashed right at the symbol shouting, "Zanmaken!"

The sword strike hit the curse symbol and it made a slash mark right across it, leaving a gash in the wall. The symbol glowed red before it died and became black, looking old and falling apart. Akuro nearly collapsed on his knees as he gave a sigh and said, "I wonder if that was the curse…"

That's when he looked at the little castle in a round bottle. Akuro saw that there were weird symbols on the ground around it that were as black as the dead curse symbol. Sheathing Ryuhana, he picked up the bottle and looked at it, thinking how it looked like a snow globe, but in a lot more detail, like it was real inside. Sayo asked, "What is this? I've seen it already, but I can't make out what it is."

"I'm not sure either. I'll need to look it up later, or ask someone." Akuro replied.

Before Sayo could say anything, the magic circle that appeared in the dorm room that Akuro and Sayo in reappeared at their feet and flashed brightly blinding them. The circle teleported them to who knows where before it, the dead curse symbol, and the strange markings disappeared completely from the room.

* * *

_Mahora Academy – dorm room_

When Akuro and Sayo could see again, they found themselves back in the cursed dorm room, though the two of them noticed that the uneasy feeling that the room emitted was gone now. The two looked around, and to their surprise they saw something that wasn't in the room before. On the counter was a bottle like the one Akuro had in his hands, but this time it had the pyramid with the forest surrounding it inside it.

Both of them were surprised to see it and Sayo looked at it saying, "This, this is the pyramid that we were just in!"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that were forcibly transported into that bottle…" Akuro muttered.

"…That's probably the case." Sayo told him.

A sigh escaped Akuro's lips as he started to feel better as his energy started to come back to him. Wrapping up Yatsusuna and Ryuhana back into it's black cloth, Akuro looked out the window and saw that it was late in the day, something that puzzled him. He looked at Sayo and asked, "Hey Sayo, how long do you think we were in that pyramid?"

Sayo thought about it before answering, "I'm not sure, three or four hours at the very least?"

"That's what I thought," Akuro said, looking back out the window. He knew that he had entered the room in the morning, sometime around nine, but now it looked like it was around five, from what he figured. Sayo caught on to this and was puzzled, but she found the pyramid in the bottle to be much more interesting as Akuro went over and put the castle in the bottle down beside it. Looking at the two bottles, Akuro stretched and said, "I'd better find someone to have a look at those things later, maybe the Dean or Takamichi…"

Stretching, Akuro reapplied the glamour back on, turning back into 'Akari' before he went over to the door with Sayo. Looking at himself, he was surprised to find himself in perfect condition, like he had never entered the bottle world in the first place. When he opened, it, he was greeted by the appearance of Akira, Yuna, Makie, and Ako, who were quite shocked to see Akuro come out of the room. The four of them were frozen as Akuro said, "Oh Okochi-san, Akashi-san, Sasaki-san, and Izumi-san, hello."

That's when they snapped out of their frozen state and Akira asked, "Akari-sensei, how did you get in that room?"

"Oh, the Dean asked me to clean up a few things in there as a request." Akuro half-lied, "He wanted the room cleaned so he gave me the task to do it."

"And that took you a day and a half?" Ako asked, looking curious.

"Well yeah, I-, wait, what?" Akuro said, not quite catching what Ako said.

"From what we could tell, we haven't seen you ever since the day before yesterday Akari-sensei. It made the class wonder what the Dean wanted you for." Ako told him.

Hearing that he'd been missing for a day and a half shocked him, since it felt that it had only been about three hours being in that pyramid. Shaking his head, Akuro said, "Uh, yeah, the place hasn't been used in a while, so it took a long time…fu…"

The girls seem to buy it as Makie said, "Well, at least we know that you're alright Akari-sensei. We need to go now and get a few things for the trip, so see you later sensei."

The other girls said goodbye, leaving a puzzled Akuro and Sayo behind. He looked at his ghost companion and asked, "What are they talking about… We couldn't have been in that pyramid for that long…"

Sayo couldn't say anything, since it was hard for her to comprehend what had happened. That's when Akuro remembered something and ran off, with Sayo going after him shouting, "Akari-sensei, where are you going?"

* * *

_Mahora – fountain_

Akuro and Sayo reached the fountain, and he found Chamo waiting for him with a smug look on his face, with a boom box on the fountain ledge right beside him. The ermine had a grin on his face as he said, "Whoa, where the heck have you been bro?"

Sayo was surprised to see Chamo talking, but Akuro didn't notice as he replied, "Had some business to take care off."

"You do know that Aniki was worried sick about you, right?"

"I'll tell him that I'm fine later, let's just get this thing over with alright?" Akuro said rather hastily.

A puzzled look appeared on Sayo's face at Akuro's odd behavior, while Chamo had a grin on his face as he said, "Why are you in such a rush Akari-nee? Don't forget that you lost that bet a few nights ago!"

"Please don't remind me…" Akuro spat as the memory came back to him.

* * *

_Flashback, Mahora Academy – dorm room, two nights ago_

_Konoka was currently out doing something with Asuna, leaving Negi, Chamo, and Akuro alone by themselves in the dorm room. Negi was busy at his desk working on something relating to magic, while Chamo and Akuro were busy playing cards for a bit of spare change that escalated into Akuro losing half of his wallet due to his abysmal losing streak, not to mention feeling humiliated that he kept losing to an ermine at cards._

_ They were on their last hand because Akuro couldn't afford to lose anymore, so they made a last bet that would allow Akuro to win back everything he lost. However, if he lost again, he bet that he would follow one order of Chamo's as long as it wasn't an absurd one. So they played cards, with the end result being Akuro's full house being beating by Chamo's Royal Flush of Hearts. Akuro felt like he had just fallen into hell as Chamo had a huge grin on his face. Admitting defeat he said, "Alright Chamo…what do I have to do…?"_

_ The ermine went over and whispered something in Akuro's ear, making him look at Chamo funny as he said, "You can't be serious!"_

_ "Oh yes, and I'll be sending the video over to Nekane as a finisher." Akuro's eyes widened at Chamo's proclamation and all he saw the ermine do is wave his finger saying, "The deal is sealed and you can't do anything about it. Come to the great fountain around five in two days, I'm sure that you'll attract quite the audience, hehehe."_

_ All Akuro could do was curse his luck and groan at the predicament he was in. Fortunately for him, Negi was too busy immersed in his magic studies to notice anything.

* * *

_

_Present time_

Shaking his head at the memory, Akuro said, "Well, I'm here now so what do I have to, uh, sing…?"

Chamo had a smirk on his face as he whipped out a video camera and said, "Oh, I'm sure that you know this one…"

As the ermine pressed a button on the boom box, Akuro sat down by the fountain's edge as he recognized the opening music. Resetting it so he could get in sync with the song, Akuro mentally prepared himself as he thought, 'Please don't let anyone I know see me like this!'

Sayo noticed the uncomfortable look on his face and had an idea what was going through Akuro's mind. She went over to the video camera and stayed behind it, giving Chamo chills every now and again as he thought, 'Man is it chilly out today!'

Apparently someone up above must like to see Akuro squirm as down on the steps behind the fountain, Negi, Konoka, Asuna, Ayaka, Misa, Sakurako, and Madoka were down there after Asuna had received her early birthday gifts. That's when they heard music start and they wondered where it was coming from when they heard a familiar voice singing, one which surprised Negi and Asuna.

_sora akaku someru kokutan no yami_

_nomikomareta hoshikuzu-tachi_

_hakanaku furitsumoru hai no yuki_

Everyone heard that it was close by and when they went up the steps, they saw Akuro's back turned to them, and the boom box that was beside him was emitting the music. They went around and they were a bit surprised to see that Akuro was the one singing. Nearby Negi and Asuna saw Chamo on top of a video recorder and the two wondered what Akuro was doing singing a female song of all things.

_mitsumeta nageki no mado_

_I never dreamed_

_kooritsuku_

_there... I come for you_

Akuro's eyes widened when he saw Negi and the girls and a blush formed on his face. He quickly pretended to think that they weren't there as he continued to sing, noticing that everyone started to listen to what he was singing.

_omoi wa sekibaku no yozora ni_

_maiagari kudaketa_

_kono sekai ga katachi wo kaeru tabi ni_

_mamoritai mono wo_

_kowashite shimatteitan da_

"What are you doing here Akari-sensei?" Konoka asked. Akuro was about to reply when the next lines of the song came up. By that time, a number of other students had come by, wondering what was going on that it was starting to become an audience. This included Akira, Yuna, Makie, and Ako who had shown up after hearing the music.

_kokoro ni hishimeku haitoku no yami_

_kimi no koe ga masui no youni_

_tsumetaku kankaku wo ubatteku_

Misa, Sakurako, and Madoka were listening with interest, and they seemed to like how the music sounded. Asuna and Konoka just watched Akuro sing, while Negi went over to where Chamo was with the camera.

_mujun wo oikakete mo_

_owaranai_

_naze boku wa tatakau no?_

Here Akuro suddenly jumped up and started swinging to the music as he sung, apparently immersed in the song as the blush had disappeared from his face.

_tatoeba hikari ga kieusete_

_kono hoshi ga ochite mo_

_wasurenai yo_

_sono chiisana negai ga_

_aru beki basho eto michibiku_

During the pause, Akuro closed his eyes as he kept on swinging to the music.

_there I come for you yeah_

_Ash Like Snow_

_is falling down from your sky_

_Ash Like Snow_

_Ash Like Snow_

_Ash Like Snow_

_Let me hear..._

_why I have to fight?_

Misa, Sakurako, and Madoka suddenly wished that they had their instruments with them, and they wondered if they could play this particular song. Ako watched with interest as she started to admire 'Akari's' singing a bit. Madoka wondered if she could sing this song well, since the singing voice Akuro had sounded a bit deep like hers.

_kono omoi wa sekibaku no yozora ni_

_maiagari kudaketa_

_yami wo hiraku eikou to hikikae ni_

_mamoru beki mono wo ushinatte kita_

_(It's falling from your sky)_

_munashisugiru_

_(Baby I come for you)_

_kudakechitta kakera ni kizutsuku tabi_

_tozasareta boku no kokoro wa_

_tsuyoku naru koto wo erande_

_koko made kitan da_

The audience was surprised to say the least, most of all Negi and Asuna, since they knew Akuro's true identity. However everyone enjoyed it and when it ended, they all started clapping as Chamo hit the stop button on the video recorder. Akari finally noticed the audience and he turned red in the face as he stuttered, "Um, thank you all, and uh, that's all for now…"

The people took that as their queue to leave and as they did, Negi and the students went up to him with praises and comments about 'Akari's' singing. This made Akuro extremely uncomfortable when he noticed the presents that Asuna had. He asked, "Whoa, what's with the stuff Asuna?"

"Oh, these are just presents from the others. It's my birthday tomorrow." Asuna replied.

"Really? Wow, I guess tomorrows going to be really special then." Akuro said to her.

Before Asuna could say anything, Sakurako said, "Hey, why don't we all go to karaoke to celebrate Kagurazaka-san's birthday?"

Akira, Yuna, Makie, and Ako had to decline to that, since they still had to pick up a few things for the trip. That left the others to go and Akuro wanted to stay out of it but he was roped into it. He saw the look that Sayo had on her face and Akuro just motioned to follow. She knew that it was depressing that she couldn't participate, but the thought that Akuro didn't want her to be alone kept her happy enough, and that seeing him sing a few more songs at the karaoke bar was interesting as well.


	10. Heading to Kyoto

Chapter 10 – Heading to Kyoto

_Mahora Academy – dormitory, Akuro's room_

On the morning of the trip to Kyoto, Akuro was up and about without his glamour, looking at himself in the mirror. Actually it was more like looking at herself now, since he took a very expensive gender-changing pill that he had ordered from on the day that Negi had told 3-A that they were going on the trip to Kyoto. Shaking his head at the image of the female version of himself, Akuro got dressed and quickly applied the glamour thinking, 'Argh, I'm starting to really get sick of this disguise…'

Yesterday night, Akuro checked out of the hotel he was staying at and moved whatever he had to the empty dorm room. This was because Konoemon offered it to him as thanks for clearing it of the curse, and seeing how it was a self sufficient room that oddly included a bathroom, Akuro took the offer. However, by the time Akuro had gathered his things and moved them to the room, 3-A had gotten word of Akuro moving in and bombarded him with questions. Konoka and Negi though seemed to be happy about it, while Asuna was just a bit skeptical of the whole situation.

After hiding the important things like the bottles containing the castle and pyramid, over half of 3-A stopped by to take a look at the place, and they were surprised by how it looked more like an apartment then a dorm room. They were surprised by the private bathroom, while Akuro was plain happy that the room had one; going down to the baths late at night wasn't appealing to him in the least, for obvious reasons.

Now, Akuro stretched as he set up his laptop, something that he wasn't bringing along with him. He started it up, since he was going to let Sayo use it to watch a number of animes, as she wasn't able to go on the trip. As Sayo went over to where he was, Akuro thought, 'Hmm, maybe I should think of a way to let her off campus after we get back…'

A knock on the door shook Akuro out of his thoughts as Negi's excited voice came through asking, "Akari, are you ready?"

"Yeah, just give me a moment." Akuro replied, He quickly gathered his things for the trip as he thought, 'He sure sounds excited…wish I could say the same…'

As he picked up his bag, along with Yatsusuna and Ryuhana in their cloth, Akuro looked over to Sayo, who was over by the laptop looking like she was waiting for something. He gave an apologetic look and said, "Sorry that you can't come along Sayo, so please watch over the place for me, okay?"

A nod came from Sayo as she sadly replied, "I understand Akuro-sensei…"

Hearing the sad tone in Sayo's voice, Akuro felt a bit guilty as he went over to where his laptop was set up, and as he did something he said, "Okay, I've set everything up and the soundproof barrier is up already. I'll see you later Sayo."

"Have a safe trip Akuro-sensei." Sayo said with a bow. As Akuro left the room, something started on the laptop and she said, "Oh, it's starting already!"

Outside the room, Akuro found a Negi that was almost bursting with excitement waiting for him. Taking one look at the boy he said, "You take too much sugar this morning Negi?"

That's when Chamo popped out and replied, "Nah, Aniki's just excited about the trip."

"Yes, let's get going Akari!" Negi said excitedly as he grabbed Akuro's hand and dragged him along, making Akuro say, "Hey, Negi-!"

Seeing all the excitement burst from Negi, Akuro couldn't help but crack a small grin as he thought, 'Sometimes, even I forget that he's just a kid…'

Little did they know, Konoka was watching them from the door to her room and all she did was smile as she went back to cooking, but not before saying, "Asuna, you need to get up now!"

* * *

_Mahora – train station_

When Negi and Akuro reached the train station, they found a number of students from the various classes already there waiting with the other teachers. Negi ran forward towards where 3-A was waiting shouting, "Wah! All of you came early!"

As Negi ran towards his students, Akuro looked around until he spotted someone standing behind a support pillar, trying to be discreet about it. Raising an eyebrow, Akuro went over and as he got closer he saw that it was Setsuna looking at the rest of the class, or more specifically, Negi. A small grin flashed across his face for an instant as he quietly snuck up to Setsuna. When he was right behind her, Akuro had the urge to shout 'boo', but instead he said, "Sakurazaki-san?"

That nearly made Setsuna squeak in surprise as she jumped and whipped around, only to find a grinning Akuro behind her. She relaxed as she said, "Sakuraba-sensei, it's only you…"

"What did you expect, the boogeyman?" Akuro joked, making Setsuna raise an eyebrow at it. Akuro cleared his throat as he got serious and asked, "So, what're you doing here?"

Setsuna looked a bit hesitant to answer at first, but she replied, "I'm just looking out for any threats…"

Akuro nodded and said, "Alright, but what does that have to do with looking at Negi, specifically?"

A light blush flashed across Setsuna's face for an instant before she said, "No, I'm just seeing how he handles the class…"

"Alright… well I'd better get over there. It looks like the others are showing up now." Akuro said, with Setsuna giving a nod as he went over as he went over to where Negi was. As Setsuna watched 'Akari' leave, she thought, 'Her presence, I couldn't sense her approaching. She must be skilled…'

Soon, everyone showed up on time and was currently boarding the train. Akuro was outside the train, watching as each group goes in, holding the list for the six groups of 3-A in his hands. The first group was Group One, consisting of Misa, Sakurako, Madoka, Fuuka, and Fumika. When the three cheerleaders complimented him on his singing again, he blushed in embarrassment and started questioning himself a bit, again.

Shaking off that thought, Akuro welcomed Group Two with Ku Fei, Chao, Satomi, Kaede, Misora, and Satsuki as it's members. As Akuro bought a meat bun from Satsuki since his breakfast was light, he found to Group Two to be interesting as it's members stood out from each other. He also mused how good the meat bun was and how it satisfied his appetite.

Next was Group Three, with Ayaka, Chizuru, Natsumi, Chisame, and Kazumi. Akuro, Kazumi, and Chizuru talked for a bit before they were ushered inside by Ayaka, who tried taking Negi with her. Akuro couldn't help but snicker at Kazumi's comment about 'illegal child seduction' before he refocused himself.

The fourth group, having Makie, Yuna, Ako, Akira, and Mana as it's members, gave Akuro the usual greeting, though Mana gave Akuro an odd look for a second that he noticed. He wondered what that was all about, but decided not to think about it as he did feel a bit concerned for Ako since she was looking sick, but nothing serious that she had to stay behind. He whispered, "Overeating can do that to you, I guess…"

Group Five, consisting of Asuna, Konoka, Yue, Haruna, and Nodoka, came onboard after Konoka and Asuna talked to Akuro for a bit. Sighing, Akuro waited for the last group to arrive which was just Setsuna and Zazie, since Evangeline couldn't come due to her curse, and Chachamaru stayed behind to keep her company. Setsuna and Akuro exchanged a mutual greeting before he got onboard behind Zazie.

Meanwhile, Negi was by himself, looking at the class as they sat down in their seats thinking, 'Haaa…this sure is a busy class. Just organizing them will be tough…at least I have Akuro with me to help.'

That's when Negi realized that only five of the six groups had passed, and then Setsuna, Zazie, and Akuro showed up on the train, with Setsuna reporting in. Akuro had checked off the last group as he heard Negi say, "Ah…you're No. 15, Setsuna Sakurazaki-san…and Zazie Rainyday-san too…"

As Akuro looked at the list, he listened to Setsuna's explanation when Negi said, "I-I know! Why don't the two of you join another group? What about that Akari?"

"Yes, that would be fine," Akuro said, and as he took a look at the list he said, "Well, Rainyday-san can go to Ayaka-san's group, while Sakurazaki-san can be assigned to Asuna's group. Is that good with you Negi?"

"Yes, is that okay with the two of you Asuna-san, Iincho-san?" Negi asked, looking at Asuna and Ayaka. Asuna just nodded while Ayaka replied, "I don't mind Negi-sensei, Akari-sensei."

A nod came from Akuro as he started making changes to the roster, and while he did that he heard Konoka say, "Ah, Se-chan. Looks like we're going to be in the same group…"

Looking up, Akuro noticed that Setsuna looked a bit taken aback at been addressed by Konoka. She quickly gave a bow and promptly turned around to walk away without saying a word to Konoka. Negi was puzzled by the notion, while Akuro just frowned and thought, 'What the heck was that? I think I need to get the full story from either Konoka or Setsuna, since Setsuna's behavior has been weird concerning Konoka…'

Negi noticed Akuro's frown and asked, "Um Akari? Are you alright?"

Konoka too noticed the frown before it vanished and Akuro replied, "Oh, I'm fine Negi. I have all the groups accounted for, so we'd better make sure everyone's seated."

As Negi and Akuro went into the compartment, Konoka followed, still concerned about the way Setsuna was acting towards her. She found herself wishing that Akuro was here with them now, since she wanted his help concerning Setsuna. She also admitted to herself that she was forgetting Akuro bit by bit over the past few years, since it's been so long until 'Akari's' arrival and announcement which made everything come back. All she could do was sigh as she thought, 'Kuro-chan…'

* * *

_Bullet Train – 3-A's car_

After everyone was settled, the train took off as Akuro stood with Negi and Shizuna, with Negi making the important speech to the class, "All right everyone! The fifteenth annual school trip is about to begin!"

'They've been doing this kind of thing for fifteen years now? Wow…' Akuro mentally commented as Negi went on, "Please make the most of these five days and four nights!"

A round of 'OK' came from the class as Negi went on to say, "There will be a lot of free time for the groups, so I think it'll be a fun trip for everyone! Please try not to get hurt, lost, or cause anyone else any trouble! You should all take responsibilities for yourselves!

"In particular, you should take care not to get hur-aah!" Negi's speech was interrupted when he got hit by a lunch cart that an attendant was pushing. Akuro and Shizuna had gotten out of the way when they heard the door open, and the attendant apologized for crashing into Negi, while the class laughed and Akuro went over to pick him up and see if he was alright.

As the time passed, Akuro was sitting down for a break when Fuuka and Fumika went up to him and Akuro said, "Oh, Fuuka-san and Fumika-san. I'd say Narutaki-san, but saying it twice would give me a tongue twister…"

"We don't mind Akari-sensei!" Fuuka and Fumika said together. Then Fuuka said, "Hey, we heard from Sakurako that you're a good singer."

'I have a feeling this is going to be bad for me…' Akuro mentally cringed. That's when Fumika said, "Could you please sing that song you sang a few days ago? Um…what was it again Onee-chan?"

"I think it was called Ash Like Snow, by um, The Brilliant Green, I think." Fuuka said. Akuro sweat dropped as he said, "Uh, not now girls. Anyway, it's not like I have a portable karaoke machine on me with the music. I sound better with one anyway."

"That's not a problem, we have one right here!" Fumika said, as she and Fuuka brought one up. That made Akuro cringe as he tried to find a way out of this, however it just got ten times harder when Fuuka shouted, "C'mon Akari-sensei, sing!"

Fuuka's shouting attracted pretty much the entire car as most of 3-A started calling out to Akuro to sing, oddly enough. Apparently everyone heard about it yesterday and people were curious since those that were there said that 'Akari' was pretty good at karaoke singing. Akuro turned red at that and he mentally coached, 'Just one more time…just one more time…'

Akuro forced a smile out as he said, "Since you insist…"

The twins gave a hurray as Akuro stood up, the portable karaoke machine in his seat. As both twins sat down in the seats in front of him, Akuro checked to see what song was on there and saw it was Ash Like Snow. He sighed as the music started up, and when he started singing, the train car became oddly quiet as they listened to Akuro sing.

When it was over, Akuro fought off a blush and annoyance as the students that heard him for the first time complimented him on the singing. That's when Negi went up to him and said, "Uh, let's go around and check on our surroundings Akari."

"Yeah sure, just give me a minute…" Akuro mumbled as he followed Negi, not really questioning why. Nothing suspicious came up in their line of sight, though Akuro was still fighting off embarrassment as he received various compliments. He thought, 'I need to keep a lower profile…damn this disguise…'

The two eventually came across three card games going on that involved magic and that made Akuro think, 'Hmm, kinda reminds me of something, but what…?'

Before Negi continued walking, Akuro said, "I'll stay here and watch this Negi, you go on ahead."

"Sure thing Akari." Negi said before he went to the other end of the car. Akuro watched as Yuna beat Haruna at the game, and Haruna reached down for chocolates that she had wagered. When the box was in her hands, Akuro suddenly felt something odd, and that was confirmed when frogs started popping out of every dark place in the car.

As Akuro swatted off the frogs that jumped on him, which he realized were shikigami, he saw that Setsuna was making a discreet exit out of the car. When their eyes met, all Setsuna did was nod, and Akuro returned the nod as he tried to keep things under control by saying, "Everyone calm down, ugh!" Akuro brushed off another frog that jumped onto his shoulder.

Negi had come back after hearing the screams and when he saw Akuro grab a plastic bag and start to stuff frogs in them, he asked, "W-what are all these frogs doing here?"

As Negi grabbed a plastic bag and started doing the same thing, Asuna came up to him and told him, "They just appeared out of nowhere from that box that Paru had!"

Akuro was starting to get annoyed by all the frogs and the plastic bag he had was starting to get full. He muttered, "Damn shikigami…" when Negi reached him asking, "Akari, what's going on?"

"An annoyance, that's what!" Akuro snapped, before he realized that it was Negi who was talking to him. He calmed down a bit as he threw another frog into the bag saying, "Sorry Negi, just do damage control while I take care of the frogs, alright?"

All Negi did was nod, and as Negi took care of the situation, Akuro was busy gathering all the frogs that were hopping around. With Ku Fei's help, Akuro managed to capture most of them, with him holding one bag, and Ku Fei holding another. That's when he saw Negi run off to catch a swallow shikigami that had the letter from Konoemon in it's beak. Akuro felt a headache coming on when he heard Ayaka say, "Asuna-san, Konoka-san, Sakurazaki-san isn't here."

"Eh? Se-chan isn't here?" Konoka said looking puzzled. Akuro stepped in and said, "Don't worry about that Ayaka-san, Sakurazaki-san stepped out to take care of something. She'll be back soon."

"If you say so Akari-sensei…" Ayaka said, weary of the huge bag of frogs that was in Akuro's hand, which was shaking like crazy from all the frogs. Akuro looked around to see if there were any stray frogs, and when he saw that the compartment was pretty much clean, he took the bag that was in Ku Fei's hand and said, "I'll, uh, take care of all these frogs alright?"

No one objected to Akuro's words and as he walked down the isle, many of the students were wary of the frogs in the bags until Akuro stepped out of the car and into the next one. Quickly stuffing himself into the bathroom, Akuro took one look at all the squirming frogs and closed his eyes as focused his ki into the bags until they turned back into their paper forms. Now only having two bags full of paper, Akuro just left them there as he went back to the car to see if everything was under control while thinking, 'Those frogs must've been the work of the Association, but parts of it don't make sense…'

When the students saw Akuro, they were calm enough and there were no more frogs in sight. Ayaka went up to him and asked, "Akari-sensei, what did you do with the frogs?"

"Oh, I just threw them out the window." Akuro replied casually as he looked around for anymore of the little shikigami.

Those that were relaxed gasped what Akuro had said, and he waved saying, "Just kidding. I, uh, well, gave them to the staff to deal with. They said that they would look into it…"

Everyone sighed at that as Ayaka, Asuna, and Konoka just nodded and they returned to their seats, just in time to see Setsuna return. She went over to her seat and sat down, and Akuro wondered what she was up to. Soon after, Negi showed up, and Akuro saw that he had a worried look on his face, so he went up to the boy and said, "All the frogs have been taken care of Negi."

When Negi didn't respond, Akuro poked him on the forehead, "Hello, earth to Negi, are you there?"

Negi shook his head, bringing his attention full front, "Oh yes, what is it Akari?"

Now Akuro knew something was up but decided not to push it as he repeated, "I took care of all of the frogs Negi, so there shouldn't be anymore problems." He then added in a low whisper, "I hope…"

Negi nodded in understanding, though the worried look was still there as he addressed the class. A sigh escaped Akuro's lips as he thought, 'I'd better keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I know Negi can take care of himself, but he doesn't have as much knowledge in Onmyou-dou as I do, even if it's limited.'

Looking around, Setsuna's stare caught Akuro's eyes and he thought, 'Se-chan, what happened between you and Kono-chan?' He quickly looked away before he was caught staring and went back to his seat to rest.

Meanwhile, Setsuna had her own thoughts going on as she thought, 'That was a close call, and no doubt the frogs were caused by Onmyou-users from the Kansai Magic Association. I hope that Sakuraba-sensei can help Negi-sensei with this, or else I might have to take a more active action…'

Around the same time, the person who caused the whole ruckus was by herself as she whispered, "Hmm, I wasn't expecting much out of this… While the kid teacher isn't much of a problem, those two Shinmei-ryu swordswomen might be a problem, especially the one with the black cloth. There's something about her that seems off to me…well, there will always be other, better chances, fufufu."

That's when the woman went back to work under her cover thinking, 'Soon, Ojou-sama will be…'

A sudden chill shot down Konoka's back making Asuna ask, "Konoka?"

"Oh, it's nothing Asuna, just a chill…" Konoka assured Asuna, who just shrugged before sitting back in her seat. Konoka looked over to Setsuna and hoped that something good would happen that would result in her and Setsuna talking like friends again.


	11. The Mishaps Continue

Chapter 11 – The Mishaps Continue

_Bullet Train – 3-A's car_

The rest of the trip to Kyoto was uneventful to say the least, and now they were arriving at Kyoto, thanks to the announcement that was going though the train. Negi and Akuro were standing in the isle with Negi shouting excitedly, "Everyone, please get ready to disembark!"

Akuro stretched a bit as he thought, 'We're heading to Kyoto…let's just hope that I can keep a low profile while protecting Konoka and the rest of 3-A with Negi. Damn that sentence…'

Then Akuro heard Negi say excitedly, "We're finally arriving in Kyoto! We just might be able to find some clues about my father, the Thousand Master…"

"Hmm, what was that Negi-kun?" Konoka asked from behind, with Negi replying, "N-nothing! I'm just really looking forward to Kyoto…! Hmm?"

Negi looked in a certain direction and when Akuro followed his eyes, he saw that he was looking at Setsuna, who was looking back after noticing Negi's stare. Negi thought, 'Setsuna Sakurazaki-san… She's looking this way again. Could she really be a spy from the west? I need to ask Akuro about it…'

Meanwhile, Akuro got an idea and made a bunny figure with his hands and pretended to make the bunny look like it was searching for food in Negi's hair. Surprised to say, Setsuna made a 'pfft' noise as she quickly turned away to hide her amusement. Negi was surprised to see that and when he turned around to Akuro, he found nothing out of the ordinary, and Akuro was feigning ignorance by saying, "Is something wrong Negi?"

"Uh no, nothing's wrong…" Negi replied, starting to feel confused about the odd situation. That's when Fuuka, Fumika, and Sakurako went up to Negi and Akuro saying, "Hey Negi-kun, Akari-sensei, we've arrived! We've arrived!"

Negi was the one who replied saying, "Ah yes, sorry!" Then his attitude changed to an excited one as he shouted, "All right everyone, it's off to Kyoto we go!"

"Yeah!" Half the class shouted. Akuro smirked in amusement as he thought, 'This should be interesting, or tiring…'

* * *

_Kiyomizu Temple_

After getting off the bus and having a picture taken of 3-A, Negi, Akuro, and Shizuna, everyone was exploring the temple. Akuro just went to the ledge and looked out at the city with a nostalgic look on his face as he thought, 'It sure has been a while since I've been here, though it looks like not much has changed…'

When Negi finished listening to Yue's explanation, he went over to Akuro saying, "So, how does it feel to be back home Akari?"

"Hmm, it's hard to say Negi," Akuro replied as Asuna and Konoka joined them, "I guess a part of me missed this place, but I can't say for sure yet."

Looking around, Akuro changed the subject by saying, "So, you want to try jumping off the stage Negi? Who knows, it might be fun."

That got an 'Eeeh?' out of everyone that heard it, and predictably, Ayaka came onto the scene shouting, "How can you say such a thing Akari-sensei?"

"Yes, I don't think that's a good idea Akari." Negi added. Akuro tilted his head and said, "But I remember that you used to jump off of cliffs back in Wales every now and again. You survived those, didn't you?"

Everyone's mouths opened in disbelief as Negi waved his arms saying, "But those time were different!"

Akuro cupped his chin as he said, "Now that you mention it, I guess they were, since there was a lake under each of them…"

The students with them just sweat dropped at Akuro's words until Negi looked out and said, "Wow, amazing! You can see the whole city from up here!"

Watching Negi look out at the city, Akuro took that chance to look around. While some thought that he was looking at the sights like a tourist, he was really looking out for any hidden threats that could be around. When it was all clear from what he could see, he listened in to Yue pointing out various things near the temple, like love fortune telling and the Otowa waterfall.

Akuro raised an eyebrow when some of the girls got excited at the love aspects of the two things, and before he knew it, Negi was being dragged off by Makie, Fuuka, and Fumika. Some of the other girls, like Ayaka and Nodoka, went after them in a hurry with Ayaka shouting at them while trying to keep her priorities straight. When half the class went after them, Akuro was left with the other half and he said, "Well, might as well go after them."

"Hmm, aren't you interested in something like that Akari-sensei?" Chizuru asked from behind.

Giving a wave of his hand, Akuro replied, "Uh, well…not really. I have a few personal problems going on in life that make finding love one of my, um, lower priorities…"

"Oh, and what would those be?" Kazumi asked, seeing an opportunity for information.

Crossing his arms, Akuro replied, "Sorry, can't say. There's a reason that they're personal after all."

For some reason, there was something in Akuro's voice that made Kazumi causally back off. Asuna and Konoka looked at Akuro, though Asuna wondered if what Akuro said more related to his disguise. The rest of the class followed Akuro as he went after Negi and the others.

When they caught up, they saw that Ayaka, Makie, and Nodoka were participating in trying to reach a stone with their eyes closed. Apparently if you reach the rock while having your eyes closed, you'll have success concerning love. Akuro frowned a bit at that and wondered where the truth was in that, though he couldn't skip the possibility of it being true. He took a quick look at the surroundings, but found nothing out of place.

As Akuro looked around, Konoka noticed him looking and went up to him and asked, "Akari-sensei, is something wrong?"

Konoka calling out to him made Akuro jump and he turned to her saying, "Wha-! Konoka-san, no, just looking at the sights."

"So, how does it feel to be back here after so long?" Konoka asked out of the blue.

"Huh?" Akuro was caught off guard by that question and said, "Well, uh, it feels-."

"Kyah!"

"What the-?" Akuro and Konoka spun around, just in time for the two of them to see that Makie and Ayaka had fallen into a pit that was full of shikigami frogs. Akuro quickly went over and helped Negi pull Makie out, while Asuna and Yuna helped Ayaka, with Negi asking, "Makie-san, Iincho-san! A-are you two all right!"

"Eww, they're all slippery Negi-sensei!" Makie said as she got onto her feet.

Akuro meanwhile, looked at the pit with the frogs and couldn't help but frown and think, 'The hell is this? What was the point of this pitfall? Or has the Kansai Magic Association have a few Onmyou-users that have a few screws loose?'

Looking closer at the pit, Akuro saw a charm at the bottom that was covered with frogs. Seeing as the class was heading towards the Otowa waterfall, he looked around and when he saw no one looking, he bent down and pointed his right index finger at the charm in the pit and mentally chanted, 'Mucro est meus Animus, Sagitta Magica, one arrow of fire!"

The fire arrow erupted from Akuro's fingertip and shot towards the charm, going though the frogs that were in the way. It hit and when the charm was burnt up, the pit quickly vanished along with the frogs. Shaking his head, Akuro hurried after Negi and the others, not too aware that Setsuna was watching from the background as she followed after Akuro.

* * *

_Otowa Waterfall_

When Akuro caught up to the class he was just in time to hear Yue explain the three waterfalls that when drunk, gave success in a certain area. The three represented health, career, and marriage, though Akuro couldn't help but sweat drop when the girls started clamoring over the marriage waterfall, making it look kind of hilarious.

That's when Akuro caught a whiff of something sweet and as he walked up to Negi he whispered, "What's that smell, smells familiar…"

The smell got stronger as Akuro walked up to Negi and he asked, "Hey Negi, do you smell that?"

"Smell what?" Negi said as he looked around, "Hmm, where's Setsuna-san?"

"Eh?" Akuro looked to where Negi was looking when Chamo called out, "H-hey Aniki, Akari! This doesn't look too good…"

"What do you mean by that?" Akuro asked as he and Negi looked to where Chamo was pointing at. Sure enough, the girls that drank the water were down and out on the ground with red cheeks. Akuro's heart skipped a beat as the thought of them being poisoned flashed though his head until Yue pointed out, "…It looks like they're all dead drunk…"

Sure enough, the girls that drank the marriage water were flat out passed out on the ground, though Yuna was still up, barely and looking like a very tipsy drunk. As Kazumi quickly took a picture of the scene before going over to help the girls, Akuro looked up at the waterfall and noticed something out of place. He poked at Negi and pointed it out asking, "What's that?"

"Hmm, let's see…" Negi said. When the two got on top of the roof, they found a sake barrel on top, along with a tube with three openings leaking sake into the waterfalls. As Akuro quickly cut off the supply and tied up the tube, Negi said, "Wha…? There's sake on top of these waterfalls! Who would do such a thing…?"

"Who knows, but you better get the plastered girls off the ground before the other teachers come by." Akuro told Negi.

Negi nodded and said, "Y-you're right, but what about the sake!"

"I'll take care of it, don't worry." Akuro assured him.

As Negi went down to take care of the drunk girls, Akuro took out a black plastic bag that he had picked up back at Mahora and put the sake barrel into it, though he noticed that it was only a quarter empty. Picking it up, he carefully got down from the roof as he thought, 'Again, and this time this was done only recently, considering how full the barrel is…'

By the time Akuro got down, Negi noticed that Akuro had the sake barrel in a bag and he asked in a whisper, "What are you doing Akari?"

"I'm bringing this back with us. It might have a clue, and even if it doesn't, it'll make a nice souvenir to bring back." Akuro whispered back.

Negi couldn't comprehend what Akuro was thinking, and instead he said, "Oh, just help us bring the girls back to the bus so we can drop them off at the hotel."

"Right." Akuro went over and picked up the nearest girl that was on the ground, which was Haruna and carried her piggyback style. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, but shaking it off, he went over to Negi, who was helping Yue with Nodoka, and said, "Let's hurry and bring them to the bus. Wouldn't want them to catch a cold out here, eh?"

Negi just nodded as the girls that didn't drink the wine helped the girls that were passed out to the bus. As they walked, Akuro couldn't help but think, 'Ugh, either those were the lamest traps, or the enemy has a sick sense of humor…'

* * *

_Arashi Hotel – group five's room_

After putting Haruna down in the room where group five was staying, Akuro quickly went to the room he and Negi were sharing and dropped off the sake, adding a 'Do not touch' label on it. After that, he went back to group five's room, only to find everyone except Setsuna and Asuna inside. Yue was watching over Nodoka, while Konoka was with Haruna, and when Akuro appeared at the door they looked up to hear him ask, "They sleeping okay?"

"Yes Akari-sensei," Yue replied, "Sensei, what happened? Sake was involved, since Haruna and the others are passed out drunk…"

A sigh escaped Akuro's mouth as he explained, "Apparently, someone thought it was funny to mix sake with the water at the Otowa waterfalls. It's been taken care of already, so there won't be anything like that anymore."

Both Konoka and Yue nodded, while Akuro looked around the room and asked, "By the way, where's Asuna-san and Sakurazaki-san?"

"Oh, Asuna when to see Negi-kun, while Se-chan…well, I don't know where she is at the moment." Konoka replied, sounding sad halfway.

Akuro nodded and said, "Alright, I'll see you girls later. Let's just hope those two, along with the others can handle their hangover when they wake up."

As Akuro left, Yue said, "Thank goodness that I didn't try to drink from the waterfall."

Konoka just nodded as she just sat there, looking over Nodoka and Haruna's sleeping faces.

* * *

_Arashi Hotel – lobby_

Asuna was already with Negi by the time Akuro showed up, just in time to hear Asuna shout, "Eh? 3-A is being targeted by some weird magic organization from Kansai?"

"Hey Asuna-san, would you tone it down a bit? We're in a public place you know?" Akuro said as he approached the two.

"Oh, sorry about that." Asuna said as she realized what she shouted. Negi turned to Akuro and asked, "Are the girls doing okay?"

"Uh huh, though they're going to be in for a rough morning when they wake up." Akuro replied.

Negi nodded and turned back to Asuna saying, "Anyway Asuna-san, it's called the Kansai Magic Association."

"I knew there was something odd about those frogs…" Asuna muttered, while Akuro asked, "Filling Asuna-san in on the details."

Negi nodded again as Asuna said, "Another disaster involving magic, huh…"

"Uuuh, I'm sorry Asuna-san…" Negi apologized. Asuna smiled and said, "Fufu… I guess you and Akari-sensei here want my help again, right?" Negi just nodded while Akuro had a casual look on his face, "No problem, I'll help you two out for a bit."

"A-Asuna-san…" Negi said with sparkly eyes. Akuro, however said, "Hmm, alright, it's good to have you onboard Asuna-san. We'll be able to cover more ground this way at least…"

Asuna gave a nod in understanding, while Chamo spoke up saying, "Oh, that's right! Ane-san, that Setsuna Sakurazaki from your class seems like a spy! You know anything about her?"

Hearing that made Akuro whip around with his eyes slightly narrowed, while Asuna was surprised to hear that as she said, "Eh? Sakurazaki…a spy?"

Putting her hand to her chin, Asuna mused, "Hmmm… I heard from Konoka that she's one of her two childhood friends…but I've never seen the two talk to each other though…"

That tidbit of info made Chamo think "Hmm…hold on Ane-san! If she's a childhood friend of Konoka-nee-san, then that means…"

Meanwhile, Negi was going though his bag saying, "…Ah! Speaking of that…wait a second…"

That's when Negi pulled out the class roster and pointed to Setsuna's picture. He pointed out, "Aaaahh! L-look, look! There's 'Kyoto' written on the class roll!"

Watching the whole thing, Akuro didn't like where this was going as Chamo pointed out, "She's from Kyoto after all! Though, what the heck is Kami…Naru-ryu?"

"Not a clue…" Asuna said, while Akuro slapped his forehead thinking, 'It's Shinmei-ryu you idiots…'

Negi however, was starting to freak out that he stuttered, "Eeehh? T-then that m-means…"

Chamo shouted with confidence, "Aah! There's no doubt about it! She's an assassin from the Kansai Magic Association!"

Hearing that made Akuro grit his teeth in anger as Asuna said, "Y-you think so?"

"Setsuna Sakurazaki isn't an assassin from the Kansai Magic Association." Akuro said in a flat voice.

Negi, Asuna, and Chamo turned to Akuro, only to see a less than amused look on his face. Chamo challenged him by saying, "What makes you so sure about that Akuro-nii? For all we know, she could just be biding her time until she whacks you or Aniki!"

Giving a sigh, Akuro said, "Look, if she was an assassin, Negi here would already be dead on the train, wouldn't he?"

"No way, that would be too obvious, and it would be hard to cover up!" Chamo argued.

"Look, just trust me when I say that Setsuna Sakurazaki isn't working for the Kansai Magic Association!" Akuro said strongly, though he mentally added, 'Not directly anyway…'

"She's from Kyoto, so she must be-." Chamo started, but Akuro cut him off saying, "Oh, just because she's from Kyoto she's automatically considered a spy? I'm from Kyoto too, does that make me one too?"

Chamo opened his mouth to say something, but that statement was hard to argue. Asuna on the other hand said, "You sure seem sure about Sakurazaki-san Akari-sensei. Why is that?"  
"…I can't really say at the moment, circumstances are complicated…" Akuro turned to Negi and said, "Look Negi, just trust me. Sakurazaki-san isn't an enemy okay? Just trust me on that."

Before Negi could say something, Shizuna showed up in a robe saying, "Negi-sensei, Akari-sensei… It's almost time for the staff members to finish their baths!"

That shocked Negi making him squeak, "Hyah!" Asuna and Akuro however, were more composed as Akuro replied, "Oh, okay Shizuna-sensei!"

Asuna turned to Negi and Akuro saying, "Look, it's almost time for group five to take a bath. We'll talk about this later tonight during free activity, alright you two?"

"O-okay…" Negi said, while Chamo said, "A-OK, Ane-san!"

Akuro gave a nod and said, "Sure, I'll be back in the room Negi and I are sharing, so call me alright? I need to clear my head for a bit."

With Akuro walking away, Asuna turned to go to group five's room, but not before saying, "Make sure that you scrub properly, okay?"

"A-Asuna-san!" Negi cried out in embarrassment as Asuna walked away with a grin.

* * *

_Arashi Hotel – hot spring baths_

Negi sank down into the got waters, giving a sigh of relaxation as he said, "Phew, this is amazing… Is this the open-air bath that Akuro used to talk about? It feels so much better then what he described…" Sinking a bit lower Negi sighed, "The wind feels so nice…"

"Yeah! If only we didn't have to worry about that Setsuna Sakurazaki though…" Chamo commented.

"Chamo, I don't think that's much of a problem. Akuro apparently trusts her, so she can't be an assassin." Negi said to the ermine.

"Hey, for all we know, she could be fooling him too Aniki," Chamo said, "Or worse, those two could be collaborating with each other!"

"Now that's impossible Chamo," Negi shot back casually, "Remember Akuro said that he was kicked out of Kyoto, in a figurative sense…"

"Yeah, but he was sketching on the details though…" Chamo commented. When Negi didn't say anything he went on, "Look, she's always carrying around a sword that's the same length as Akuro-nii's, she, as well as Akuro-nii, can kill a mage like you Aniki before you can even chant a spell…"

"Uuun…swordsmen are the natural enemies of mages after all…though I have heard of exceptions…" Negi mused while relaxing in the bath. Chamo added, "If possible, we should avoid fighting her, or let Akuro-nii deal with her."

That's when Negi and Chamo heard someone approaching and Negi looked over saying, "Hmm, someone's coming. Is it one of the male teachers, or…"

The door opened, and to Negi and Chamo's surprise, Setsuna walked in naked. As she went over to the water's edge with a bucket, Negi quickly whipped out a beginner's wand that he always kept on him and whispered, "Wh-wh-wh-why? The male and female entrances are separate! Why do they both go into the same bath?"

"It's called a mixed bath Aniki!" Chamo told him. They stayed behind a rock as they watched her, and Negi was admiring her beauty a bit until Chamo snapped him out of it by whispering, "W-what are you staring at? We've got to avoid her!"

As Negi quietly went further into the bath, Chamo whispered, "With out a partner, or Akuro-nii's assistance, we've got zero chance at winning this one!"

Negi was still moving when he heard Setsuna say, "Phew, how troublesome… If Negi-sensei is indeed a mage…then I should take some action, but…"

'Eh? H-how did she knew that I'm a mage?' Negi thought in a panic. That's when he heard Setsuna go on, "I wonder why Akari-sensei hasn't acted yet… She's covering up everything, but maybe I should say something…"

'I knew those two were in on it!' Chamo thought. Negi gripped his wand thinking, 'N-no way…is she really a spy after all?'

Setsuna sensed Negi's aura spike and she shot a pebble towards one of the lamp posts. She then grabbed Yunagi and shouted, "Who's there?"

Negi quickly tried to get away as he thought, 'Oh no, did she notice me?'

Drawing Yunagi, Setsuna shouted, "You won't get away! Shinmei-ryu Ougi: Zanganken!"

Negi was shocked at what just happened, though for some reason, what Setsuna did seemed very familiar to him as he mentally chanted, 'Rastel Mascir Magister,' Pointing his wand towards Setsuna he finished, 'Flans Exarmatio!'

The spell knocked Yunagi out of Setsuna's hand as she dashed towards Negi, but that didn't stop her as she grabbed Negi by the neck and family jewels. Looking at Negi intently Setsuna demanded, "Who are you? If you don't answer, I'll crush it and snap it off!"

Freaking out, Negi's eyes were popping out of their sockets in fear, while Setsuna realized who she just attacked. She asked with uncertainty, "Ne-Negi-sensei?"

"Awa…awawawa…" Was all that could escape Negi's lips as he shook there in fear. Chamo couldn't help but comment, "She's strong! Aniki's going to…"

Setsuna quickly removed her hands as her face showed embarrassment while she apologized, "Ah! I-I'm so sorry Negi-sensei…ah…"

Negi was still in a state of shock as all that could come out of his mouth was, "Awa…awawawawa…" Chamo looked at Negi and said, "O-oi, what's wrong Aniki? Get a hold of yourself…"

Setsuna realized where her left hand was and she tried to explain to Negi about how aiming for vital areas is a basic theory and apologized again. That's when Chamo jumped on top of Negi's head and said, "Y-you've done it now Setsuna Sakurazaki! You're…you're a spy for the Kansai Magic Association, aren't you? Heck, I bet you even roped Akari into it!"

"Wha-? No! That's not true Sensei! And what's this about Akari-sensei?" Setsuna said, sounding confused at the last part, and not caring that she's talking to an ermine instead of Negi.

"What's not true? We're on to you and Akari, so you'd better confess! Also, tell us what you did to Akari that made her turn traitor too!" Chamo shouted.

As Setsuna sheathed Yunagi, she said, "I-I'm not your enemy! I, number fifteen, Setsuna Sakurazaki, am Negi-sensei and Akari-sensei's ally!" She then added, "I don't know what you're talking about concerning Akari though…"

Negi and Chamo were silent until only one sound came out of them, "Eh?"

That's when Negi asked, "U-um…what do you mean by…?"

"I'm Konoka-ojou-sama's…" Setsuna started, when a scream cut across their conversation like a knife. That made the two of them turn around with Negi saying, "T-That scream was-!"

"Konoka-ojou-sama?" Setsuna finished for Negi. The two wondered for a second what was going on, and instantly acted, though little did they know, someone else managed to hear the scream too and was rushing over to investigate.


	12. Kansai Strikes

Chapter 12 – Kansai Strikes

_Arashi Hotel – Negi and Akuro's room_

After the talk between Negi, Asuna, and Chamo about Setsuna and the attacks, Akuro went back to the room and sat down beside the bag that had the sake barrel. He was planning on bathing after everyone else had gone, more so because he was still a bit embarrassed about his gender-changed body, but more so that he could be by himself for a while. It felt odd to be back in Kyoto after all this time to Akuro, but the recent 'attacks' by the Kansai MA were mainly on Akuro's mind, as well as Chamo accusing Setsuna of being a spy.

With a moment of silence in thought, Akuro supposed that he couldn't blame them for the accusation. Setsuna was acting pretty shady much to his disbelief, and the way she interacted with Konoka really threw him off. He just had to wonder what exactly happened after he was taken away. Setsuna was still protecting Konoka, but the whole distancing thing wasn't his cup of tea. He gave a sigh and muttered, "Things sure have changed around here, haven't they?"

Akuro stretched before taking out Yatsusuna and unsheathing it, inspecting the blade to see if there were any scratches on it or anything. Considering that he just treated it the day before the trip started, it should be perfectly fine, but Akuro was looking at it as a way to take his mind off of things. After looking at Yatsusuna, Akuro took out Ryuhana, looking at the ancient, but powerful Shinmei-ryu nodachi and inspected the blade.

While looking at Ryuhana, Akuro thought, 'I wonder, if that sentence wasn't put on me, would I have ended up with this sword? Not to mention meeting Yojiro-sensei, Negi, and everyone else…?'

As Akuro sheathed Ryuhana, he heard a scream come from the baths, one which he recognized as Konoka's. He immediately leapt onto his feet as he covered Ryuhana in it's black cloth, while slinging Yatsusuna over his back. As he left the room he couldn't help but think, 'Ugh, not again!'

* * *

_Arashi Hotel – hallway_

With Akuro approaching the baths, he noticed that none of the girls, teachers, or other guests was around in the hallways, making him wonder what was going on. As he got closer, he was ambushed by shikigami monkeys in the halls, blocking his way. Taking out the two knives hidden in his sleeves, Akuro got ready to fight as the shikigami monkeys ran forward towards him, sporting sharp claws.

Slicing through one of the monkeys with ease, Akuro found the monkeys more of a nuisance then a challenge, and before he knew it, all of the monkeys were taken care of. Looking around, he saw that they were all gone as he thought, 'Are they after Konoka or Negi? Most likely Konoka, from the scream I heard…'

That thought burned Akuro, though he kept his emotions in check when he saw a particularly large monkey go down the hall that led to the changing rooms. Akuro was in hot pursuit as he thought, 'Konoka, please be alright!'

However, he didn't get far as the monkey stopped before it went any further, turning to Akuro and giving him an eerie look. Akuro instantly stopped and got on his guard as the monkey sprouted sharp claws from it's paws and got into an offensive stance. Raising his knives, Akuro braced himself as the monkey dashed forward, with the intent to claw out his throat.

Dodging the swipe, Akuro whispered, "Zanganken!" and sliced upwards, aiming for the monkey's arm, but it was quicker than he anticipated and all he got was a deep cut that quickly healed up. That made him narrow his eyes as he thought, 'Guh, need to end it in one finishing slash then…'

Akuro went on the defensive as the monkey kept up the attacks, waiting for the chance to strike. He knew he had to act quickly, since all the noise was bound to catch someone's attention. Finding the opening when the monkey attempted an overhead slash, Akuro dodged it and pushed inward, stabbing it right in the abdomen and used all his strength to slice upwards, destroying the shikigami monkey and leaving behind a torn piece of paper.

After torching the paper, Akuro continued on his way to the baths, with the only thing going through his mind was hoping that whoever was attacked was safe. Gripping the knives, Akuro headed down the hall, lucky that no one saw him.

* * *

_Arashi Hotel – baths_

As Akuro headed for the baths, Setsuna just saved Konoka from the monkeys and was embarrassed and ashamed to be holding Konoka in her arms. She blushed as she promptly dropped Konoka into the water and ran out with Yunagi in her hands. However she didn't watch where she was going as she left the baths, and she crashed into Akuro head first, sending the both of them to the ground.

Negi, Asuna, and Konoka rushed over to see if they were alright, as the two were on the ground with bumps on their head. Konoka in particular shouted, "Se-chan, Akari-sensei, are you two alright?"

"Ow…what hit me…? Akuro said as he got up, holding his head.

"Ah…Sakuraba…sensei…?" Setsuna moaned as she got up too, holding her head in pain, with a bump on her forehead.

As the two of them got up, Setsuna saw Konoka approaching and she instantly bolted up, and kept on running saying, "Sorry Sakuraba-sensei!"

Akuro was still a bit disoriented as Konoka went into the changing room to get a towel to wrap around herself, while Negi and Asuna helped Akuro up. When he regained his senses Akuro asked, "Ugh, felt like I got hit by a car or something…"

"It was just Sakurazaki-san Akari." Negi informed him.

Shaking his head, Akuro quickly put his knives away as he looked around. Seeing the sliced rock, he asked, "Do I want to know what happened here?"

Before either Negi or Asuna could say anything, Konoka came back with a towel wrapped around her. Akuro just shook his head and said, "I'm not going to ask anymore for now, but what's with Sakurazaki-san just now. She seemed to be in an awful hurry for some reason…"

Akuro knew that he had to act dumb just to maintain his cover, while Negi and Asuna turned to Konoka with Negi saying, "Uh, K-Konoka-san, just who is Setsuna-san? She kept on calling you 'Ojou-sama'…"

"Konoka…something happened between you and Sakurazaki-san in the past, right?" Asuna asked.

"Um…I've never really talked about it with you either Asuna…I guess I'll start at the beginning…" Konoka said.

Standing there quietly, Akuro thought, 'Let's hope this answers a few questions…'

Akuro sat down on a rock while the others sunk down into the bath waters as Konoka started, "You know that before I moved to Mahora and started living with Asuna, I lived in Kyoto, right? Ever since I was young, I was raised in a huge, quiet mansion. It was deep in the mountains, so I didn't even have one friend to call my own."

'I was being kept in a different part of the mansion, so I didn't even know that Konoka was there…' Akuro mentally noted.

"One day, some of Mother's family friends came by, and Se-chan was with them. That's how I first met Se-chan. She was the first friend I ever had." Konoka paused there to reminisce for a bit before she went on, "Se-chan was learning Kendo, which was why she was brought over, since father's an expert and a teacher too. Anyway, she did things like drive the scary dogs away… She protected me when I was in danger…"

"Hmm…" Asuna said with an interested smile. Negi couldn't help but think that Setsuna was still protecting Konoka now, while Akuro thought, 'Ha, I remember those times…'

"Even that time when it seemed that I was going to drown in the river…she did her best to help me…" Konoka said.

That caught Akuro's attention as his eyes narrowed, while Konoka went on, "In the end, we were both saved by the adults. I remember that she was sorry that she couldn't do anything to help, and swore to get stronger. I really didn't care about that at the time, just that I wanted us to stay together…"

Konoka started to tear up a bit, and that's when she got up saying, "Could we continue this somewhere else? I'm starting to get a bit light-headed…"

"Alright, I've been here too long as well…" Negi said. He turned to Akuro, but saw that he was already gone. Asuna and Konoka saw that too, and they assumed that he was waiting for them in the lobby, which he was after they got changed.

* * *

_Arashi Hotel – lobby_

"But after that, Se-chan became busier and busier with her Kendo training, and we never had much time to talk, and then I moved to Mahora." Konoka continued.

Negi, Asuna, Konoka, and Akuro were in the lobby, with Konoka sitting down on a chair, Negi and Asuna standing in front of her, and Akuro was leaning on the vending machine. Konoka went on, "When I was in the first year of middle school, Se-chan also moved to Mahora at the time. We were able to meet again, but…"

That's when Konoka started to tear up again and said, "It was like I had done something wrong…Se-chan wouldn't talk to me like she did before…"

Akuro felt extremely uncomfortable hearing the story, and seeing Konoka tear up made him act. He went and sat down beside her and gave her a light, one-armed hug to cheer her up. Negi and Asuna were surprised to see Akuro act that way, while Konoka wiped her tears and said, "Thank you Akari-sensei. You know, you really do remind me of Kuro-chan…"

That made Akuro gulp a bit as he said, "Oh, really?" Negi and Asuna however, wondered as Negi asked, "Kuro…chan…?"

"You know him Negi-kun, Akuro Sakuragi." Konoka replied, a bit of her cheerfulness coming back into her voice. Both Negi and Asuna gave a glance at Akuro before Asuna asked, "You know him?"

"Yep, he's my other childhood friend. He actually lived in the mansion with me, though I only met him after I met Se-chan. I heard that father took him in after he was found in the mountains…" Konoka told them.

Asuna was interested in the information, while Negi just nodded, since he already heard the story from Akuro himself a while ago. Konoka went on to say, "The three of us played together whenever we got the chance, it went on for a few years, until Kuro-chan was sent away for some reason…"

Akuro stiffened at that, and Negi and Chamo, who was watching and listening to the whole thing, took note of that. Asuna meanwhile asked, "Sent away?"

Konoka gave a nod and said, "Eight years ago, Kuro-chan was sent away to Yojiro-ojii-san from what my father told me. I don't know why, but I think it's because of what happened a few days before. My memory is fuzzy from that time, but all I remember is that Kuro-chan protected me and Se-chan from…something. I can't remember anything else though…"

'I remember that day…' Akuro thought bitterly, though he managed to keep it from showing on his face.

Negi and Asuna gave another glance towards Akuro as they both thought, 'Maybe Akuro can tell us what happened…'

Konoka turned to Akuro and asked, "Akari-sensei, is there anyway you can contact Kuro-chan?"

Hearing that made Akuro bite his lip as he was forced to lie, "Sorry Konoka-san, I've tried calling him lately, but he's not answering. I don't even know where he is anymore, it's like he simply disappeared…"

"Oh, I see…" Konoka said dejectedly. She gave a sad sniff before saying, "I wish Kuro-chan was here right now…maybe he can talk to Se-chan… I miss him…"

"Konoka/Konoka-san…" Negi and Asuna said at the same time, looking concerned for the girl. Inside his mind, Akuro was gritting his teeth as he thought, 'I'm sorry Kono-chan… As Akari, I'll try to talk to her.'

Getting up, Akuro said, "Well, it's been one weird, long day. You better turn in for now Konoka-san."

"Alright Akari-sensei…" Konoka said as she too got up from her seat. Asuna accompanied her, and as Negi, Chamo, and Akuro watched them walk away, Chamo turned to Akuro and said, "Heh, so you and Konoka-nee-san are childhood friends, huh Akuro-nii?"

"Yes, I'm surprised as well," Negi added, "Though I do remember you talking about a pair of childhood friends of yours in the past, but you never mentioned their names…"

Akuro looked at Negi apologetically as he said, "Yeah, they're both Konoka and Setsuna. Oh, and before I say anything else, I need you to keep what I say to yourselves for now, and remember what I said about this disguise and not telling anyone. Tell that to Asuna-san too, just to remind her."

"But why?" Negi asked, looking confused as to why he would hide his identity from a friend like Setsuna.

"As I said before, there are circumstances that I can't explain right now. When they're resolved, I'll tell you, but not now." Akuro replied.

Negi seemed to accept that, while Chamo asked, "Okay, then what was Konoka-nee-san talking about when she mentioned you protecting her and Sakurazaki?"

It made Akuro take a deep breath as he tried to bring back that particular memory. He pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, "Back then, the three of us were attacked by a demon. I don't know where it came from, but Setsuna and I tried to protect Konoka from it. The next part's a bit fuzzy, because all I remember is facing the demon with Setsuna protecting Konoka, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in a futon feeling like I ran laps around Kyoto non-stop."

Negi was surprised to hear that as Akuro added, "Both Konoka and Setsuna have fuzzy memories about that time too. Setsuna might remember the demon, but she'll probably just tell you what I just said, probably."

There was a moment of silence as Negi digested the information, while Asuna came back and asked, "So, what did I miss?"

After Negi explained everything to Asuna, she looked at Akuro and said, "So, you knew Konoka from a while back, huh?"

"Uh huh…" Akuro replied, though he was a bit in thought.

The three of them were walking around the hotel, with them checking to see if everything was alright after Akuro mentioned encountering monkeys in the halls. As they walked Negi couldn't help but say, "Konoka-san looked sad, didn't she?"

Akuro cringed a bit at hearing that as Asuna said, "Yeah…I haven't seen Konoka that sad since ever…" Then a memory came to her and she added, "Wait…now that I think about it, she seemed kind of depressed during our first week of starting middle school too… She didn't say anything about it to me though…I thought we were closer than that…"

Suddenly, a thought came to Asuna and she asked, "Oh, more importantly, what about Sakurazaki-san? She was really amazing back there, I must admit, but is she on our side or not?"

"Hmm…it doesn't seem like she's our enemy," Chamo replied, "Maybe it's better to talk to her in person instead…"

"Oh? What's with the sudden change in attitude Chamo?" Akuro asked, raising an eyebrow.

The ermine jumped from Asuna's shoulder to Akuro's and whispered, "Here, this is what happened earlier…"

As Akuro listened to Chamo's story, they passed by Kaede, who whispered something to Negi after a short talk. That's when they heard suppressed giggles from Akuro and Kaede asked, "Is something wrong with Akari-sensei?"

"Uh…" Before Negi could give a proper reply, they heard Akuro whisper, "…Can't believe she did that…Aiming for the weak spots…"

Negi turned beet red as he realized that Chamo was Telling Akuro what happened in the bath with Setsuna. He quickly replied, "Akari's just remembering a joke I told her, that's all!"

"Hmm…if you say so Negi-sensei. Good night for now." Kaede went into the room she was staying in, while Asuna wondered, 'What the heck was that about?"

As they went back down to the ground floor, Akuro settled for an amused grin, something that made Negi uncomfortable for some reason, and he thought that Akuro was shooting him looks too. Akuro meanwhile, couldn't but think in amusement, 'Hmm, I wonder what Nekane would say if she heard this story…?'

The three saw Setsuna by the entrance, sticking what Akuro recognized as shikigami repelling charms on top. The three went up to her with Negi asking, "What are you doing Setsuna-san?"

Setsuna turned to see Negi, Asuna, and Akuro, but she quickly turned right around with a light blush. Apparently, the bath incident was still fresh in her mind, but that didn't stop her from replying, "It's a barrier to repel shikigami…"

Looking about the entrance, Akuro saw that the charms were making an effective barrier around the entrance. He mentally commented, 'Looks like Setsuna really knows what she's doing here…wish I could say the same thing for myself though…'

The four moved to a spacious part of the lobby as Setsuna sorted out the charms she held in her hands. Negi saw them up close and couldn't help but say, "Um Setsuna-san…you can use Japanese magic too?"

"Yes, it's a skill used to compliment my sword techniques." Setsuna replied.

As Akuro sat down on one of the nearby couches, Chamo said, "Ah, I get it! So you're like a magic knight, pretty much like Akari-nee over here."

Setsuna found that piece of information interesting, but instead she asked, "Ah, is it alright to discuss this in front of Kagurazaka-san?"

"Y-yes, it's alright." Negi replied. Asuna gave a smile adding, "Go right ahead."

Akuro had his eyes closed, looking like he was deep in thought as he sighed. He couldn't help but wonder, 'What else does the enemy have at their disposal?'

* * *

_Unknown location – forested clearing_

The person that released the monkey shikigami, Chigusa Amagasaki, was disappointed that the attempt to capture Konoka failed. However, she wasn't too upset since the attempt was more or less the chance to test the enemy's defenses, though it made them more alert to future attacks. She whispered to herself, "Hmm, how to approach this…? There are two Shinmei-ryu users with the western mage, but the older user seems to be much more dangerous…"

At that instant, two people entered the clearing where Chigusa was still thinking. From their looks, the two were sisters, having the same long, pale blond hair and matching eyes, though the older one had her hair tied in a ponytail like Akira's. The younger one wore a goth-loli style outfit, while the older sister wore a traditional miko outfit, though it was blue rather than red. The older sister was also missing glasses, unlike her younger sister, though she did sport sapphire stud earrings.

The younger sister snapped Chigusa out of her thoughts by saying, "Hey Nee-han, it looks like Chigusa-han's having a bit of trouble."

"Don't say that Tsukuyomi," The older one said, watching her younger sister Tsukuyomi finger her kodachis, "I'm sure that she's just thinking of a better plan."

Chigusa turned around and said, "Kuzuha, Tsukuyomi, good timing. I just came up with a new plan to get Ojou-sama, and it involves the two of you."

Kuzuha touched her kodachi on her hip, with her nodachi slipping slightly on her back as she asked, "What will it be Chigusa-san?"

As Chigusa explained the plan to them, Kuzuha couldn't help but smile and think, 'Fufufu…looks like I'll be getting quite the experience out of this…'

* * *

_Arashi Hotel – lobby_

After Setsuna explained to Negi and Asuna about Onmyou-charm users and their relationship with the Shinmei-ryu, they grew concerned about that as Negi said, "T-then these people from the Shinmei-ryu are our enemies as well?"

"Yes…I guess they would see me as a traitor because I left the west for the east," Setsuna replied, "But I wanted to protect Konoka-ojou-sama, so I didn't have much of a choice."

A small smile crossed her face as Setsuna added, "As long as I'm able to protect Ojou-sama…I'll be satisfied."

There was a moment of silence before Akuro said, "Well, I don't think our enemy will have the total backing of the Shinmei-ryu, if any at all…"

Everyone looked at Akuro as Setsuna asked, "What makes you say that Sakuraba-sensei?"

Getting up from his seat, Akuro explained, "Last year, Akuro and I stopped by Japan for a month on official business concerning the Shinmei-ryu. Apparently, most of the Shinmei-ryu are scattered and some are working as mercenaries. It's mostly due to the fractured leadership of the Shinmei-ryu as a whole, namely with the Aoyamas."

"Aoyamas? Who are they?" Asuna asked, looking puzzled.

Setsuna was the one to answer that, "They're one of the main founders of the Shinmei-ryu style, and the current head of the organization." She then turned to Akuro and asked, "What happened with the Aoyamas Sakuraba-sensei?"

There was a moment of silence before Akuro replied with hesitancy, "Well, it seems that the supposed-to-be leader, Motoko, seems to be adjusting to her role, but she has other things going on."

"Motoko-senpai?" Setsuna asked with concern.

"I can't say anymore then that. You'll have to ask Akuro for the details." Akuro told her. Truth be told, he just didn't want to explain it anymore, since it was such a tense issue. Instead he said, "Anyway, we'll probably run into a few Shinmei-ryu users, in the form of mercenaries."

Negi, Asuna, and Chamo had no idea what Akuro and Setsuna were talking about as they sat there with puzzled faces. Suddenly, Asuna went up to Setsuna with a smile and slapped her on the back, surprising her as she said, "Anyhow, I'm just glad that you don't hate Konoka after all! That's all I need to know! A friend of a friend is a friend, right? I'll help out too!"

"Now that last part was one tongue twister…" Akuro muttered as Negi's enthusiasm burst forth and he said, "All right, then it's decided!"

Grabbing, Akuro, Asuna, and Setsuna's hands and piling them together, Negi raised a fist saying, "The 3-A Guardian Angels are hereby formed! The four of us will protect Class 3-A from the Kansai Magic Association!"

"Eh? What kind of name is that?" Asuna asked, while Setsuna had a blush on her face, unable to say anything to that.

"As cute as this is," Akuro said as the four separated, "What's our plan of defense? I doubt they won't stop after that one measly attempt."

"Akari and I will patrol outside, while Asuna and Setsuna-san take care of the inside!" Negi said, still on a roll. Before Akuro could say anything, Negi grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the entrance saying, "Oi, hold on-!"

As Asuna tried calling out to them, Setsuna assured her, "Don't worry, it'll be alright with those two. Let's just go protect the students' rooms for now."

Meanwhile, Akuro managed to get out of Negi's grip and he stopped the boy by grabbing him by the shoulders saying, "Hold on there Negi!"

"Yeah, Aniki! Have you got your staff and cards?" Chamo added.

"Uh, it'll be fine! I've got the cards of contract right here with me!" Negi replied.

As they stood there Chamo said, "Hmm…from what Setsuna-ane-san and Akuro-nii say, the enemy could be really strong, despite being few in number. I didn't have time to tell you while you and Ane-san were fighting Evangeline, but now would be a good time to teach you how to use those cards! Also for Akuro-nii here, so that he knows in the future."

"Eh? You can use them? How?" Negi asked, now getting all curious.

As Negi and Akuro went through the entrance, the two accidentally walked into a cart that had blankets being pushed by a female employee, who was really Chigusa in disguise. Akuro managed to stay on his feet, but Negi tripped and fell along with some of the blankets. The three of them apologized to each other as they picked up the fallen blankets, and they bowed to each other as a last apology.

Negi and Akuro were about to leave, when he took a look at Chigusa keenly, which made her anxious. He asked curiously, "Hmm…have I seen you somewhere before?"

"Um, probably around the hotel sir." Chigusa quickly replied, hoping that her cover wasn't blown. She mentally thought, 'Ugh, maybe it was a bad idea to be out in the open on that bullet train…'

Akuro kept on looking at her, but he eventually shrugged and said, "I guess so…sorry about that."

"It's no problem sir." Chigusa said as she watched 'Akari' walk away with Negi. As she entered, she gave a sigh saying, "That was a close one…that Shinmei-ryu woman nearly figured me out. Other than that, the boy's a cute little mage, isn't he…?"

Chigusa smiled as she put on her glasses saying, "Well, it's time to execute the plan…" With that she continued walking forward, pretending to play the part of the hotel employee.


	13. Shinmeiryu Swordswomen

Chapter 13 – Shinmei-ryu Swordswomen

_Arashi hotel – outer perimeter_

After Chamo had explained about the Pactio card's functions, Akuro separated from Negi before Chamo could go into more detail about the functions, saying that they would be able to cover more ground that way. When he was far enough, Akuro unsheathed Yatsusuna as a precaution and kept on walking, looking out for potential threats.

Akuro didn't walk very far as a thick needle shot out from on of the trees, aimed for his neck. Quickly responding, Yatsusuna flashed forward and deflected the needle as Akuro shouted, "Who's there?"

"My, aren't we a bit testy, though I can't really blame you I guess." A female voice said from on top of one of the trees.

Turning to the source, Akuro saw a woman drop down with a kodachi in her hand, who happened to be Kuzuha in her miko garb. Akuro got into a defensive stance as he eyed the girl, "Who the heck are you?"

"Oh, no one important, just your typical Shinmei-ryu swordswoman, but if you want my name, it's Kuzuha." Kuzuha pointed her kodachi towards Akuro, and gripped Yatsusuna a bit tighter. He tensed a bit as he asked, "What do you want? Are you here for Konoka?"

"Hmm, sorry, but I'm not here for Ojou-shama. That's someone else's job, apparently…" Kuzuha mused, giving a nod toward the hotel.

"What?" Akuro tried to go back to the hotel, but Kuzuha blocked the way. Attacking Kuzuha to get her out of the way, he snarled, "Move it!"

Kuzuha shook her head as she blocked the attack, "Can't do that, so instead, could you keep me company for a while?" That's when a sinister smile crossed her face, "Or else, who knows what'll happen to your and the little mage's students~?"

Akuro didn't like this situation one bit as he gripped Yatsusuna tighter, pulling away from Kuzuha. Finding the situation to be really bad, he eyed the enemy carefully as he slowly asked, "…What do you want?"

"Hmm, more or less a fight between you and me," Kuzuha started to show a playful look, but the feeling that was coming from her contradicted that, "But not here. Gotta keep this a secret and all, so catch me if you can!"

Suddenly, Kuzuha vanished, but Akuro knew Instant Movement when he saw it. She appeared some distance away and shouted, "Well c'mon, you better hurry, or else…!"

Gritting his teeth, Akuro silently followed Kuzuha using Instant Movement, and followed Kuzuha through the trees. The scenery changed from the forested area to the civilian area, and Kuzuha stated jumping from rooftop to rooftop, leading him further away from the hotel. As he followed he thought, 'Damn it, I hope Negi, Setsuna, and Asuna can handle things back at the hotel.'

A bit earlier, Chamo had just finished explaining to Negi about the Pactio card's functions in more detail when the ermine felt Akuro's presence leaving the area. He perked up at that and turned to Negi, "Hey Aniki, Akuro-nii's leaving the area at a fast pace! The tag I put on him for tonight is getting fainter!"

"What, but why would he do something like that?" Negi asked in confusion.

The ermine mused, "The enemy must be back, and they're luring him away from the hotel! Considering battle strength and experience, Akuro-nii has the most, though I don't know about Sakurazaki-nee-san though…"

That's when Chamo looked up to Negi and said, "Try using the telepathy function and get in touch with Ane-san!"

"Right!" Negi said, putting the card up to his forehead saying, "Telepathia!"

Back at the hotel, Asuna and Setsuna found out that Konoka's been kidnapped when Negi's voice came through to Asuna saying, 'Asuna-san, Asuna-san! Can you hear me? Akuro's moving away from the hotel! The enemy's already here!'

"Eh? What? Negi's voice? The enemy?" Asuna looked around in surprise, but found that Negi was nowhere to be found and instead decided to go for her cell phone.

Meanwhile, Negi found that Asuna wasn't responding and Chamo mentioned that it only went one way apparently. That's when his cell phone ran and when Negi answered it, Asuna's voice came through pretty loudly and in a panic, "I'm sorry Negi! Konoka's been kidnapped! What should we do?"

Negi shouted in surprise and was about to say something when Chamo pointed up, "Aniki! What's that?"

"Huh?" Negi looked up at where Chamo was pointing, and sure enough, Chigusa in a monkey costume carrying Konoka landed in front of them with a crash. Negi thought it was an actual monkey until he took a look at the monkey's mouth and saw Chigusa's face, while she eyed him with a bit of interest, "Ara…I ran into you a bit earlier…it's the cute little mage…"

Quickly looking around, Chigusa smiled, "Hmm, it looks like that older Shinmei-ryu user isn't here right now…good, at least she's fulfilling her part of the plan…"

Hearing that, Negi whipped out a wand and demanded, "What did you do with Akari? And let Konoka-san go!"

Chigusa jumped away saying goodbye, but not before summoning monkey shikigami to tie up Negi in a sense. He tried to stop her with a spell, but the monkeys clamored all over him as a way to stall him and prevent him from doing anything, with one of them putting a paw to his mouth. The monkey horde was too much for Negi until Asuna and Setsuna arrived, and they managed to pry them off of him with Setsuna cutting them down back into paper.

Looking around, Negi panicked as he ran forward in the direction Chigusa went, "Ah, s-she got away! We've got to chase her down!"

Both girls nodded and followed, when Setsuna looked around and noticed Akuro's presence missing, "Where's Sakuraba-sensei?"

"The enemy lured her away to somewhere else. They're trying to divide our battle strength!" Chamo shouted as the three kept on running after Chigusa, managing to spot her up ahead.

Both Asuna and Setsuna narrowed their eyes at that, but all they could hope was that 'Akari' would be able to handle 'herself'. Negi too thought that as the three of them focused on chasing after Chigusa.

* * *

_Kyoto – civilian area_

After chasing Kuzuha for a while, Akuro saw that she suddenly stopped on one of the flatter rooftops. He saw her unsheathe the nodachi on her back and assume a battle stance, along with her taunting, "Let's see how well you fight girly!"

Ignoring that jab, Akuro raised Yatsusuna and blocked Kuzuha's initial strike. To his surprise, Akuro saw that Kuzuha was holding her nodachi with one hand, and she suddenly whipped out her kodachi that was on her side and tried to stab Akuro in the chest. He managed to dodge the attempt by moving to the side, though it managed to cut his shirt as he backed away, still a bit surprised by the sudden stab.

Giving off an eerie pout, Kuzuha backed away, "Aww, and I wanted to settle this in one strike this time…"

"Chigusa-han told us not to kill anyone Nee-han." Tsukuyomi's voice came out nearby, nearly surprising Akuro.

That's when Tsukuyomi appeared close to the two combatants with a smile and Akuro eyed her as she talked with her sister, "Can I have a turn with that Onee-han over there Nee-han? I've already completed my part of the plan, and waiting here for Chigusa-han to arrive with Ojou-sama is boring, not to mention that seeing you two fight is making me all hot!"

'So the ringleader's name is Chigusa, hmm?' Akuro thought, 'Those two are definitely sisters, not to mention they both look like Touko-san too…could they be related?'

"You just wait imouto-chan, I'm sure that Chigusa-san is being chased by the others that were protecting Ojou-shama, so you'll have your turn." Kuzuha had a rather calm tone in her voice as she went for another attack, sheathing her kodachi.

Tsukuyomi gave a pout whispering, "Meanie Nee-han…"

Kuzuha paid no attention to Tsukuyomi as Akuro pushed back her attempt and went on the offensive, "Raimeiken!"

The lightning blade crashed down upon Kuzuha, yet she evaded it with ease as she commented, "I wonder, is this all that you got Onee-han? Might as well get serious."

Using Instant Movement, Kuzuha got behind Akuro and quickly switched her nodachi for her kodachi, attempting to slash Akuro in the back. He whipped around to intercept, but found that it was a feint as she had already disappeared again. That's when two projectiles came flying at him and while Akuro managed to block the one aimed for his neck, the other one hit him in the left leg, making him grit in pain.

Pulling out the projectile, a metal needle, Akuro looked and saw Kuzuha using Instant Movement to keep moving around him constantly. Trying to get a fix on her, he kept on dodging and blocking the needles thrown at him, though the wound in his leg was hampering his ability to move quickly. Swinging Yatsusuna around in a circle Akuro whispered, "Shinmei-ryu Hiken: Jakuzankūsen!"

Blasting ki in all directions, this forced Kuzuha and Tsukuyomi to dodge the blasts and Akuro took that chance to quickly mutter a spell, "Mucro est meus Animus, Tui Gratia Jovis Gratia Sit Cura!"

The wound on Akuro's leg healed up, but just as it healed, Kuzuha came back on the offensive, this time with a look in her eyes that was exactly like Touko's when she attacked him that time. The ferociousness in her attacks grew faster and Akuro was devoting all of his energy on blocking the attacks. It was a bit hard with a nodachi like Yatsusuna though, since the long blade wasn't very maneuverable in really close quarters combat, which was something that Kuzuha was trying to push for.

At the same time, Tsukuyomi was watching the fight, looking a bit bored nearby when she noticed that Chigusa had finally arrived, and used a charm to create a barrier of fire to block Negi, Asuna, and Setsuna's advance. She said, "Oh, goody, it looks like Chigusa-han's here, and she brought friends!"

Eyeing Setsuna, Tsukuyomi mused, "Oooh, I really want to fight that Shinmei-ryu swordswoman down there, but I can't interfere unless Chigusa-han's in danger…"

Keeping up the defensive, Akuro heard what Tsukuyomi said and thought, 'Negi and the others are here?'

"You really shouldn't let your thoughts wander Onee-san!" Kuzuha smiled as she managed to get a cut on Akuro's shoulder thanks to his slight drop in guard. Hissing in pain, Akuro quickly gave Kuzuha a ki-powered kick to the gut, which made her fly backwards. Taking that chance to sheath Yatsusuna and draw out the knives in his sleeves, he placed the one on his left in a reversal position as Kuzuha jumped back into the action. She was surprised to see the change in weapons, but that just made her smile as she went back on the offensive saying, "Raimeiken!"

The electric kodachi came swinging forward, but Akuro used Raimeiken himself on the reversed knife to block Kuzuha's attack. When they canceled each other out, both fighters felt a tingle in their arms from the electricity, though Akuro tried to get a stab in the process. A bit disoriented from the electric charged, Akuro's attack went slightly off, and Kuzuha managed to dodge it with ease, though it caught her sleeve and cut into it, leaving a tear in her sleeve.

The two fighters stared each other down as Kuzuha was panting a bit lightly, "Ha…it's been a while since I've fought a human opponent that could last this long against me."

"…You're a pain in the ass yourself…" Akuro muttered, keeping his eyes on Kuzuha. That's when Kuzuha made a scary smile that would give a normal people chills, "Oh, I think I need to tame this bitch in front of me, especially her manners!"

The man in Akuro screamed in indignation as he went on the offensive shouting, "Zankūshō – San!"

Kuzuha responded by throwing more needles while shouting, "Fūjin Ranbu!"

Akuro's ki bullets collided with Kuzuha's ki enforced needles, canceling each other out, and the two clashed in a fury of blades. They didn't notice that Chigusa was already retreating with Tsukuyomi, as Akuro's eyes turned red as the battle kept on getting fiercer. What they didn't realize was that their fight was getting closer to the edge of the roof, and the noise they were making from the clashing of their blades attracted attention from Negi and the others.

The three looked up in the direction Akuro and Kuzuha were fighting, as Negi asked, "Is that Akari?"

Before either Asuna or Setsuna could say anything, there was a sudden shout of, "Raimeiken!" before an electric blast went off on the roof. Negi, Asuna, and Setsuna got into a defensive position around Konoka as Negi put his overcoat on her, until they saw Akuro jumping out of the dust that was caused by the two techniques, and landing on the ground in front of them looking a bit singed, but still in one piece.

That's when they saw Kuzuha jump down and face Akuro, with her also looking a bit singed, but in one piece. Setsuna narrowed her eyes at the sight of Kuzuha, and made the connection between her and Tsukuyomi. Negi and Asuna made the same thought as Kuzuha looked around, and saw Konoka lying on the ground unconscious. She shook her head and eyed the group, "Eh, so Chigusa-san and imouto-san got beat? That's too bad then, I'm still good to go."

Everyone raised their weapons in defense until Kuzuha dropped her battle stance, "But it'll be suicidal going up against all of you, so," She sheathed her kodachi and dusted herself, "Let's call it quits for today. I'm just here to stall the strong Onee-san over there."

Akuro felt his male side coming into question again as Kuzuha jumped away with Instant Movement, "Until next time Shinmei-ryu Onee-san!"

When Kuzuha was gone, Akuro suddenly felt the pain from his shoulder wound coming to him that was numbed by the adrenaline and he winced in pain. He made his way over to Negi and the girls, muttering the healing spell at his shoulder. Negi saw the blood, but instead said, "Glad to see that you're alright Akari."

"Never mind about me, is Konoka-san alright?" Akuro looked at the four in concern.

"I'm not sure, that person said that she'd use drugs and spells on Konoka-nee-san!" Chamo replied, not liking what he just said.

Everyone's eyes widened, but Setsuna tended to Konoka first before anyone could react, "Konoka-ojou-sama! Ojou-sama! Please get a hold of yourself!"

Setsuna's gentle, yet urgent calling was rousing Konoka back into consciousness, "Nnn…huh? Se-chan…?"

As Setsuna helped her up, Konoka looked at Setsuna and Akuro couldn't help but feel a slight prang of ache in his chest as he heard Konoka say, "Ah…Se-chan…I…had a dream…I was kidnapped by some strange monkeys…but Se-chan, Negi-kun, and Asuna came to save me…"

"Thank goodness," Setsuna sighed with relief with a smile, "It's all right now…Konoka-ojou-sama."

Suddenly, some tears of joy came out of Konoka's eyes as she smiled, "Thank goodness…Se-chan…doesn't hate me after all…"

The blush that appeared on Setsuna's face grew a bit as she mumbled, "Eh…I wanted to talk to Kono-chan as well, and…" She suddenly caught herself and quickly apologized, making everyone question her oddly.

Kneeling down in front of Konoka in respect, Setsuna looked down as the words quickly came out of her mouth, "I-I am merely thankful that I was able to protect Kono-ch…Ojou-sama. I wish that I had been able to do so quietly from the shadows, but…uh…"

Setsuna ran away shouting her apologizes again and Konoka called after here, or that would've happened, if not for Akuro appearing right behind her using Instant Movement and grabbed her tightly around the shoulders to prevent her from running away. He looked at her while asking, "And where do you think you're going Cherry Blossom?"

Negi and Asuna looked at Akuro oddly, while Konoka had her mouth open in surprise. Setsuna turned beet red as she sputtered, "L-let go please, S-Sakuraba-s-sensei! And how do you k-know that name?"

Realizing he called Setsuna, Cherry Blossom out of habit, he quickly made up a cover story, "Akuro used to call me that to annoy me, just because I have 'Sakura' in my last name like yours. Not to mention that it really doesn't work on him for some reason…"

Konoka and Setsuna seemed to buy that, though Negi, Asuna, and Chamo figured that there was more to that story instead of that made up lie. Setsuna was still trying to get out of Akuro's surprising strong grip when he whispered into her ear, "Are you just going to run and leave Kono-chan here, where things go bump in the night, not to mention all those icky things that might come back for her?"

Setsuna stopped struggling and looked scandalized, while Negi and Asuna looked at the scene incredulously, with Konoka giggling at the sight. Akuro decided to whisper, "C'mon, you act like Konoka-san is a poison that you avoid the plague. Don't make me tell her to give you the puppy-eye stare all night."

Hearing that, Setsuna eventually gave up struggling and whispered, "O-okay Sakuraba-sensei. I'll stick around, for Ojou-sama's sake…"

Feeling good at accomplishing something, Akuro gently let go of Setsuna, though she still was beet red and looking down at the ground. Konoka ran up to Setsuna and hugged her, making her sputter as her blush got deeper, while Konoka said, "Yay, Akari-sensei managed to keep Se-chan around, just like Kuro-chan does!"

Akuro gave a cough when Konoka noticed the blood marks on his shirt and said, "Ah, Akari-sensei, you're hurt!"

"Eh?" Everyone looked at Akuro and saw the wounds he got from fighting, despite them being healed already. He managed to defuse the situation quickly by saying, "No I'm not, see," He showed Konoka that underneath the cut shirt, he was healed up already, "I uh, accidentally cut my shirt earlier, and then I uh, spread some blood that the movies use on it, so I could, uh, scare Negi by making look like I was an undead zombie. It's still incomplete though, ehehehe…"

Negi and the girls had dumbfounded looks on their faces, but Konoka seemed to buy the story while Akuro cleared his throat. That's when Asuna declared, "Alright then, tomorrow, we'll take a look around Nara together, okay Sakurazaki-san?"

Konoka seemed excited by the prospect and all Setsuna could do was nod. Meanwhile, Akuro looked around and whispered to Negi, "Man, you sure did a number on this place…"

Negi panicked, while Konoka wondered how she ended up dressed in Negi's robe, wearing nothing underneath. As he looked around, Akuro couldn't help but think, 'Man, if I knew something like this was going to happen, I would've convinced Negi to just let us two come to Kyoto…'


	14. Class Time Well Spent

Chapter 14 – Class Time Well Spent

_Arashi hotel – dining hall_

"Guh, yesterday was just full of stress…" Akuro mused as he sat by himself at a table. Negi was up in front with Shizuna and was addressing the students. Some of the students were concerned about Akuro sitting by himself, but he assured them that he just wanted some time alone to think. They understood, though Akuro was starting to zone out at the table, while eating his breakfast.

It wasn't long until he finished, and that's when he saw a peculiar sight; Setsuna running away from Konoka and Negi with a certain look on her face. He smirked and thought, 'That's a first for Setsuna…'

Seeing the chase, Akuro was about to leave when he felt a bit of soreness from his shoulder, where he was slashed by Kuzuha last night. He sighed thinking, 'Ugh, last night was just crazy…maybe today will be a bit more normal…'

That's when Setsuna zipped past the table with Konoka and Negi in pursuit, 'Ah, who am I kidding…'

Pushing his tray forward, Akuro got into deeper thought, 'Let's see if I can get this right…somebody from the Kansai MA has been doing these stupid tricks all day, and at night they attempt a serious kidnapping. Two, if that first one wasn't actually a recon type mission of sorts. We'll have to step up our defense…we'll see what happens today, and work along from there…'

Sighing, Akuro tried getting up, but his leg had fallen asleep, causing him to fall backwards onto his back. Some of the students saw this and they giggled at the sight, while Akuro managed to get up again as Shizuna came over in concern, "Akari-sensei, are you okay?"

"Uh yeah, my leg just fell asleep." Akuro scratched his head sheepishly as Shizuna understood that, "I know, it happens to me sometimes."

Shaking his head and giving a smile to the students, Akuro walked out of the room without a word, though some of the girls wondered if something was occupying his mind. However he managed to hear Konoka say, "Se-chan, come back!" That made Akuro smile and roll his eyes as he went to the lobby.

* * *

_Arashi hotel – lobby_

In the lobby Akuro was sitting by himself when Negi and Asuna went up to him, and they were in the middle of talking about something. Negi looked at him first, noticing the look Akuro had on his face, "Akari, is something wrong?"

"Nah, just miffed about last night, and yesterday in general…" Akuro leaned back in his chair for a second to stretch before snapping back into position, "So, it looks like everything's back to normal, somewhat…"

"Yeah, thank goodness that we managed to get Konoka back yesterday from that monkey woman without any problems," Asuna had a relieved look on her face as she spoke, "It looks like Konoka and Sakurazaki-san are getting along," Here Akuro gave a small smirk, "now too! Though that monkey woman was really something…"

"Yes, but that bad Onee-chan and her accomplices could come back during the day, so we need to be careful." Negi started to look worried, while Akuro sighed at what Negi said, and turned to Asuna, "So, what are we going to do now? All I know is that everyone's going to be going around Nara…"

Negi was in deep thought, trying to figure out what to do that he didn't notice that Nodoka was walking up behind him. Akuro saw this and as he got up, Makie suddenly dashed to Negi, "Negi-kun! Come along with our group today!"

This shocking action nearly made Akuro fall back into his seat as Asuna stepped back in surprise. It didn't stop there as Ayaka cut across Makie, "Just a-! Makie-san, Negi-sensei is coming along with my Group Three!"

Nodoka had a hard time trying to get a word in as Makie defended herself, "Ah, what? I asked first."

Fumika jumped into the fray to fight for Negi, "No fair! Our group wants him too!"

'Holy smokes, Negi's going to get devoured at this rate…' Akuro mused at the sight as the argument went on, attracting some of the other students to the scene. All that changed when Nodoka shouted out, "U-um…Negi-sensei!"

The fighting stopped as everyone looked at Nodoka as she asked in an unusually strong voice, "I-if it's okay with you, we have free activity time today…so, would you like to come with us?"

Akuro raised an eyebrow as Negi processed his thoughts, coming up with the conclusion that Group Five would be the one most at risk if Chigusa attacked again, since Konoka is with the group. Also, with Asuna and Setsuna in the group, it would be easier to defend her and the others should it come to that. In the end he gave Nodoka a reply, "Alright Miyazaki-san, I'll go with you and Group Five today."

Shocking Ayaka and Makie with that answer, the rest of the class were amazed that Nodoka came through and won. There were congrats to her as Akuro looked at Negi, "You sure about that Negi?"

"Yes, if the enemy comes, they'll go for Group Five first, because of Konoka-san." Negi looked at Akuro with seriousness, and Akuro nodded in approval of the plan. That's when Negi popped the question, "Are you coming with us Akari?"

There was a moment of silence before Akuro came up with an answer, "…No, I'll patrol the area by myself or something. The enemy could be hiding anywhere."

To Akuro's surprise, Negi waved his hands in what looked like disapproval of what he said, "Why Akari? You should enjoy the trip like everyone else!"

The students were now focused on the talk between Akuro and Negi as the boy mage tried to convince the Shinmei-ryu user to enjoy the trip, "At least come with Group Five Akari. I'm sure that you'll be able to enjoy the sights!"

"Uh, I appreciate the offer Negi, but I don't think that two teachers should go with one group. Don't want to be overbearing, especially during the trip." To the students, it looked like 'Akari' didn't want to go with Negi after Nodoka invited him to go along with her group. Inside Akuro's mind, it was different, 'If I go with Negi and the others, the enemy might come after us with much more force. I'm sure that with Asuna-san and Setsuna with him, Negi will be able to protect Konoka and the others no problem, if last night was any indication…'

Asuna wondered what was going on with Akuro as Negi continued to try and convince him to come with them, while Akuro kept refusing his offers. That's when Negi tried to change tactics, "Then, why don't you go with one of the other groups? I'm sure that you'll have a good time with one of them!"

"I don't think-!" Akuro was suddenly cut off by Ayaka who grabbed his arm and looked at Negi, "Don't worry Negi-sensei, I, Ayaka Yukihiro, will be more than willing to let Akari-sensei tag along with my group!"

"Ah, thank you so much Iincho-san!" Negi had a sparkly look in his eyes that Ayaka swooned at, while Akuro wondered what was going on in Ayaka's head, though he had a pretty good idea what it was. He gave a sigh and gave in, "Alright, I'll go with Ayaka-san's group then…"

"Alright, now that's settled, we should get going!" Negi looked a bit energetic, and Nodoka had a happy expression on her face, with Yue and Haruna looking amused. Everyone departed after that, leaving Akuro and Ayaka by themselves. Akuro for one wasn't about to give up when he turned to Ayaka, "You know, you don't have to take me along Ayaka-san…"

"Nonsense Akari-sensei, I might not have been able to get Negi-sensei to join our group, but I would greatly appreciate it if you join us for today." Ayaka had a smile on her face, but Akuro couldn't help but wonder…

That's when the rest of Group Three showed up, and most of them were wondering what Ayaka was doing with Akuro. Predictably, Kazumi was the first to speak up, "Hey Iincho, Akari-sensei, I heard that Honya's taking Negi out for today."

"Geh, it's a tragedy, but I must respect Negi-sensei's wishes, no matter how much they hurt!" Ayaka looked dramatic saying that, making Akuro stare for a few seconds before looking away, "But enough of that, I was just talking with Akari-sensei about what we're going to do as a group today, since she's going to be joining us."

From what Akuro could see, everyone except Chisame and Zazie looked a bit surprised at Ayaka's words. The two girls kept their usual looks, though Chisame looked like she was staring off in the distance, not caring what was going on, while Zazie just watched the scene quietly.

"Oh, Akari-sensei's joining us? That's a surprise…" Natsumi's eyes widened at that, while Kazumi grinned, "Well, it's a good time as any for us to get to know Akari-sensei better. I for one would like to know a bit more."

"Ugh…if you girls insist…" Akuro gave up and decided to be dragged along, when a thought came to him, 'Hmm, I guess I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious on the way…'

"It's settled then," Ayaka clapped her hands together, "We'll go see some of the temples in Nara first!"

"Uh, why do we have to look at more temples Iincho?" Chisame didn't look forward to that one bit, showing a bit of discomfort. Ayaka looked a bit miffed, but that slid off her face as she turned to Chisame, "We're just going to look around for a bit Hasegawa-san, and hopefully run into Negi-sensei while we're at it…"

Akuro leaned towards Kazumi with worry, "Uh, how long has Ayaka-san been, well, 'thinking' of Negi?"

"Ever since Negi-sensei's first day." Kazumi informed him. Akuro winced and thought, 'Well, let's hope that it doesn't get too out of hand…'

* * *

_Nara __– temples_

With Group Three, the group plus Akuro were going around Nara, looking at more historical landmarks, namely temples. As they did this, Akuro was at the rear with Zazie, Chisame in front of them looking around with a bored expression on her face. Looking around a bit, Akuro was more focused on keeping an eye out for anything suspicious that Zazie nearly shocked the daylights out of him, "…Akari-sensei…"

"Wha-? Oh, Rainyday-san…is something the matter?" Akuro was a bit surprised to hear Zazie speak, since she was always silent for as long as he had known. Zazie shook her head, "…Relax and enjoy the sights…"

Zazie walked ahead, leaving a puzzled Akuro, but he figured that she was just trying to tell him to stop being so tense or something. That's when Ayaka spotted a shrine for love, and she dragged everyone to it, shouting something about Negi again that Akuro didn't pay attention to. As they were there, Kazumi, Chizuru, and Natsumi approached Akuro and noticed that he was looking around the temple. Kazumi looked around too, "Hmm, find anything interesting Akari-sensei?"

"Nah, just seeing what's different in architecture…" Akuro made up, since he was a bit bored. He looked at the girls and a thought came to him, "Hey, while Ayaka-san looks around the temple why don't I get to know you girls a bit better. All I know is that Kazumi-san here is part of the news club at Mahora among other things, and I know a bit about Ayaka-san too. However, I don't really know that much in general about most of the class."

Kazumi looked forward on spilling the dirt on her classmates, but Chizuru spoke up first, "Hmm, I guess that's alright. It looks like Ayaka is a bit busy anyway…"

They looked over to see Ayaka fawning over a statue that is said to improve relationships or something like that. Chizuru went first, telling Akuro about how she volunteers for the Mahora Day Care center and that she's part of the astronomy club, something that Akuro finds interesting as he also learns that she's a good cook, but not as good as Satsuki. Natsumi went after her, looking a bit shy, but managing to tell Akuro that she's part of the drama club, something that she talks about with confidence, though other than that she doesn't have many other interests, and knew Chizuru ever since elementary. Kazumi decided to inform him about Chisame and Zazie, since the two were somewhere else inside the temple. Akuro didn't learn much about Chisame, except that she's good with computers and that Kazumi hinted that she had a double life of sorts, but chose not to dig deep into that. As for Zazie, he learned that she's into acrobatics and actually performs at a circus at Mahora, something that Akuro finds surprising, but other than that, little is actually known about her, which is something that Kazumi herself finds surprising.

By the time Kazumi was done, Ayaka came by with Chisame and Zazie behind her saying, "Okay Group Three, let's move on to the next one."

"This is going to be a long day…" Chisame muttered, looking the other way. Akuro looked at her and for some reason, felt like she had seen her somewhere before, like on a picture or something just for a moment before shaking off the feeling.

Outside, they ran into Group One, and they started chatting when Fuuka and Fumika went up to Akuro with Fuuka going first, "Akari-sensei, do you want to come and play with us?"

Akuro was taken aback by that as Fumika too tried, "Please Akari-sensei? Let's get to know one another a bit more!"

The three cheerleaders heard that and found themselves wanting to know more about their assistant teacher too, having curious looks on their faces. Akuro was busy wondering what to say to the twins when the cheerleaders yanked Akuro away with Misa in the lead, "Sorry Iincho, but we're borrowing Akari-sensei for a while!"

"What? Hey Kakizaki-san, get back here!" Ayaka tried to stop them, but Group One was already long gone by the time she shouted at them. Kazumi looked amused as she had snapped a picture of Group One taking Akuro away, while Chizuru sighed, "Oh, and Akari-sensei was just about to tell us a bit about herself too…"

"Well, I can fill you in on that one, though my information is a bit lacking, since Akari-sensei didn't say much." Kazumi looked at her group members with a look in her eye. Chisame just watched and thought, 'Man, things just get weirder and weirder…'

* * *

_Nara – clothing shop_

Somehow, Group One dragged Akuro into a traditional clothing store for females, much to his chagrin. The twins seemed happy to have Akuro around, while the cheerleaders tried to talk to him about clothes. When they picked out a short skirt kimono and showed it to him, Akuro raised his hands saying, "N-no, I'd be fine with a regular one. Why don't you girls try them on…I'm not much of a skirt person to be honest…"

"Aw…why Akari-sensei? Skirts are quite fashionable you know!" Sakurako put away the kimono after showing it to Akuro. He inwardly cringed and thought, 'Keeping up the act and preserving my dignity is getting harder with this class…!'

That's when he heard Misa speak, "Oh, look what I've found! A pair of matching kimonos for the twins, and it's the right size too!"

Both Fuuka and Fumika looked at what Misa was holding and they didn't look too thrilled at first, until Sakurako added, "Wow, those are some cute kimonos! I'm sure that Negi-sensei will find them cute."

The twins' attitudes changed in an instant and they followed Misa over to the changing stalls, saying things like how cute they'll look and how impressed Negi would be when they'll show him their outfits. Sakurako and Madoka were beside Akuro as he looked at them, "You know, I don't really know much about you three and the twins, except that you three practice cheerleading and the twins are part of the strolling club with Nagase-san."

Both Sakurako and Madoka looked a bit surprised at that as Sakurako said, "Wow, you sure know a bit. I bet it's thanks to Negi-sensei."

"Actually, it's more thanks to the roster that he keeps around," Akuro admitted, scratching the back of his head, "Though, I wouldn't mind if I knew a bit more about all of you."

Sakurako and Madoka looked at each other and they smiled at that, and as Sakurako was about to say something, Misa came out with Fuuka and Fumika, wearing elegant kimonos, and Akuro admitted that they did look good in them, "Wow girls, you two look quite beautiful in those kimonos."

The twins sparkled at that as clapped their hands together, saying at the same time, "Thank you Akari-sensei!"

As the two talked to each other animatedly, Misa looked at Akuro and said, "You know, that's a very nice thing to say Akari-sensei. Those two actually don't get very many complements like that."

"It's understandable…" Akuro knew that it was probably hard for Fuuka and Fumika to be seen as adolescent teenagers due to their child-like figures. The same can be said for Evangeline, but she was a different case, "Though I find it interesting how they're friends with Nagase-san."

"Yeah, especially since when those two are together with her, they look like a mother with her children." Sakurako made sure to keep her voice low, while Akuro snorted at the image, "Now that's funny…"

"Just don't let Nagase-san hear that. I swear that she's like a ninja or something." Madoka looked around, as if she was expecting Kaede to pop out of nowhere from behind or something. Akuro looked amused as Misa looked at the twins, "Let's buy those kimonos for them, I'm sure that it's on sale and comes with makeup and stuff."

"That sounds like a good idea Misa!" Sakurako had a smile on her face, while Madoka just nodded silently. Akuro then motioned his way over to the door, "I'll wait outside for a bit. I'm feeling a bit stuffy in here."

Akuro left the shop, with Sakurako and Madoka behind him surprisingly, and soon, Misa and the twins followed with Fuuka and Fumika holding a bag each in their hands. Outside, they stood together as Akuro asked, "Um, so what now? You girls have any other places you want to go?"

"Not really, we were about to tell you about ourselves for a bit," Sakurako supplied, "Right Madoka?"

"That's right." Madoka nodded in confirmation. Fuuka and Fumika liked that idea as Fuuka spoke up, "We want to know a bit more about Akari-sensei too!"

Akuro knew that he wasn't getting out of this anytime soon so he motioned to a patio that was next door, "Let's go sit down."

Group One nodded and as they all sat down at a table, Akuro asked, "As I said to Shiina-san and Kugimiya-san, I'd like to get to know you girls a bit more as well. Of course I can tell you a bit about myself. I've already told others like Ayaka-san and Kazumi-san."

They all nodded and Misa was the one who they decided to go first, "Well, as you already know, I'm part of Mahora's cheerleading squad along with Sakurako and Madoka, and I'm a member of the chorus club. I love shopping and find going out to karaoke to be fun, but if there's one thing I hate, it's carbonated drinks. I also have a boyfriend, who I love very much, and I also like the Castlevania games from Konami."

"Castlevania games…?" Akuro was surprised, since she didn't look the type to be interested in that sort of thing. Misa made things clearer, "My boyfriend got me hooked onto it. He's an avid fan of the series."

"I see…" Akuro nodded in understanding with a smile, before turning to Sakurako, "What about you Shiina-san?"

Sakurako smiled as she talked, "Let's see now, you already know about my cheerleading…oh, I also love going out to karaoke, and I have two pet cats, Cookie and Biscuit that live with us in the dorms."

"Cats? They don't wander around the dorms, do they?" Akuro cut in suddenly, surprising the girls. Sakurako shook her head, "No, they stay inside my dorm room. I only let them out for a bit as exercise."

Nodding at that, Akuro let Sakurako continue, "Anyway, I'm also in the lacrosse club, and I," Here, Sakurako blushes a bit, "tend to gamble a lot."

Raising an eyebrow at that, Akuro saw that both Misa and Madoka looked a bit peeved at that with Madoka muttering, "Not to mention she has absurd luck too…"

Sakurako looked away in embarrassment and Akuro figured that she wasn't going to say anymore, so he turned to Madoka, "So, what about you Kugimiya-san?"

Madoka turned to Akuro after wiping the look she had off of her face, "Hmm, let's see, I'm part of the cheerleader squad too, I like gyūdon and silver accessories, and I also like Western music, especially Avril Lavigne, I thinks she sounds cool. If there's one thing that I hate, it's playboys!"

"I hear that, dealing with them is a pain." Akuro muttered, the memories coming back to him.

The girls looked surprised by that as Madoka asked, "You've run into them too Akari-sensei?"

"Yup, during the first few weeks of settling in to be Negi's assistant teacher. Some were pretty persistent that I had to rough them up a bit." Akuro looked like he was boiling at the memories, while Madoka smiled saying, "Yeah, that'll teach them!"

Akuro smirked as he turned to the twins, "So, what about you two, Fuuka-san, Fumika-san."

The twins were silent the whole time, though this was mostly due to the parfaits that Akuro had ordered for them at their request. Everyone else had various drinks instead, and seeing as the twins had finished their parfaits, Fuuka went first, "I love having fun, being around everyone is such a blast, and pulling pranks is awesome. Fumika and I look up to Kaede-nee since she treats us so nicely and that she's a great roommate!"

Akuro can see how energetic Fuuka is as Fumika went next, "I like to go out for walks with Fuuka and Kaede-nee too, and I also like to clean around sometimes. I like to eat sweets, along with Fuuka, though not too much since it makes us sick, and I like to put puzzles together too."

"Not to mention she's a complete worrywart." Fuuka decided to add, making Fumika shout at her. Akuro saw that the twins were complete opposites, yet they were still close to each other. He smiled at that as Misa asked, "What about you Akari-sensei?"

Akuro told them the story that he had made up for 'Akari', essentially telling them what he had been telling any of the other girls if they asked, like Ayaka and Kazumi. Group One nodded in understanding, though they were still impressed, like they were with Negi when Sakurako asked out of nowhere, "So, you and that Akuro Sakuragi guy aren't together, right?"

That nearly made Akuro choke on his drink, making him cough, "Ugh, no, eww, no way! That's just, ew!"

The girls were surprised with 'Akari's' reaction, making Misa and the others look at him oddly, "Oh, that's an odd reaction coming out of you Akari-sensei. Are you hiding something?"

Quickly regaining his composure, Akuro cleared his throat and quickly made up a cover story, "Sorry, it's just that Akuro and I see each other like siblings, nothing more. I mean, even thinking about getting into a relationship with someone you see as a brother is just plain weird, cute or otherwise."

Shivering a bit when they thought about it, everyone dropped the subject, though Sakurako asked, "So, he's single right now, right?"

"Pretty much…" Akuro muttered, finding the discussion about himself to be really uncomfortable, not really noticing the looks the girls had in their eyes that only appeared for a few seconds. That's when Akuro got up after everyone finished what they had in front of him, "So, where are you girls going off to next?"

Group One looked at each other before Madoka spoke up, "Maybe we'll look around a bit more before we head to lunch."

"I wanna check out the arcades!" Fuuka spontaneously shouted.

"I want to see what other stores are there!" Fumika added to the list.

"Hmm…let's just go around for a bit, and we'll probably hit some good places before lunchtime." Misa suggested, though it sounded more like a final decision, which the other girls agreed to. They turned to Akuro, who nodded in agreement, "Lead the way girls."

They gathered their things and left, walking down the street, with the Narutaki twins in the lead, full of excitement. The cheerleaders were behind them with Akuro, who were talking about fashions. Suffice to say, Akuro had a hard time talking to them about that when all of a sudden, a huge crowd passed by, and somehow, Group One and Akuro got swept up into the crowd.

Group One managed to get out of the crowd quickly in one piece, with Misa asking, "Ha, is everyone alright?"

Everyone else said they were alright when Sakurako noticed something, "Wait, Akari-sensei's not here!"

"Oh no, she got swept away by the crowd!" Fumika pointed in the direction that the crowd went, only to see that they were already long gone. They grew a bit worried until Madoka pointed out, "Hold on, I'm sure Akari-sensei's gonna be alright. She can take care of herself, and she gives off a feeling like Sakurazaki-san sometimes, and carries something like her too."

The others were still a bit worried, but all they could do was go on, and hope that they run into Akuro along the way. However, a part of their minds wondered what was with the large crowd that passed by quickly.

* * *

_Nara – restaurant_

It was a bit past one, as Akuro was going around the streets hungry. Somehow, he managed to dislodge himself from the crowd, which seemed to be going on about a stage performance; he couldn't catch the full story from all the garbled talk. Anyway, now he was going around looking for a good place to have lunch, and after wandering the streets in order to get his bearings, he found a decent place, 'This looks good, I can get a bite here before I go out and look for the others…'

As Akuro walked in, Group Two was in the area, also finding a restaurant to eat at, when Ku Fei pointed out, "Hey, was that Akari-sensei just now aru?"

Everyone looked in the direction Ku Fei was pointing at, but Akuro was already inside. However, Kaede had spotted him before he went in, "I saw her too de gozaru."

"Me too." Satomi pitched in, despite looking around with a hint of boredom.

When they took a look at the restaurant Akuro was in, Satsuki eyed the place with interest, "Why don't we go in and join Akari-sensei? I don't see or hear any of the other clubs around and I'm sure she won't mind the company."

"I agree, we should get to know a bit more about Akari-sensei yo!" Chao instantly agreed, though her eyes were glued to the restaurant sign with interest. Misora looked at everyone and said, "Maybe we should leave Akari-sensei alone, I mean if she's by herself, there must be a reason."

"I don't think so yo," Chao argued, "I heard that Akari-sensei was spending time with Iincho's group, so maybe they just got separated."

"That sounds plausible de gozaru." Kaede nodded, while Ku Fei just went ahead, "Who cares aru? Let's just go and eat aru!"

The rest of Group Two just nodded to each other and they followed Ku Fei into the restaurant. Meanwhile, Akuro was sitting by himself, waiting for his order to arrive when from behind Ku Fei shouted, "Hello Akari-sensei!"

"Wha-? Ah, Ku Fei-san, you surprised me." Akuro nearly jumped out of his seat as he saw the rest of Group Two approaching, "And I see the rest of Group Two is with you. Nagase-san, Hakase-san, Lingshen-san, Kasuga-san, and Yotsuba-san. I got that right, right?"

"Wow Akari-sensei, you remember all of our names? Impressive." Satomi commented, looking a bit interested.

"Yeah well, studying the roster every few days tends to help," Akuro gave a small smile as he turned his body towards the girls, "I don't want to mix-up faces after all. Anyway, what are you girls doing right now?"

"We saw you come in and figured we'd join you." Satsuki supplied. Akuro raised an eyebrow of curiosity but said, "Go right ahead, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Everyone sat down at the counter with Akuro and ordered their meals as his came by. He waited for everyone else to eat and during that time, he got to know a bit about each of the girls, though Kaede and Misora didn't say much about themselves. Akuro found Satsuki's dream of running a high time restaurant to be admirable, and both Satomi's and Chao's advancements in robotic technology to be quite interesting, since they mentioned that they built Chachamaru. Ku Fei talked about her fighting styles and actually challenged Akuro to a fight, but he refused saying that hand-to-hand combat wasn't one of his actual strengths, with his fighting strength leaning more towards kendo and Shinmei-ryu like Setsuna, though he didn't mention the Shinmei-ryu part to them.

After that, they left the restaurant and Akuro hung around them for a bit, listening to Satomi and Chao talk to him about robotics in a way that he could understand. That didn't last as another crowd passed by, and while Group Two managed to sidestep out of the way, Akuro found himself caught up in the wave again, "Argh, not again!"

Akuro couldn't hear what they were shouting as the crowd dragged Akuro around, until he managed to dislodge himself and wound up rolling on the ground. He stopped and was a heap on the ground mumbling, "Guh, why does this crap happen to me?"

"Eh? Akari-sensei?" A familiar voice called out to Akuro. He looked up and saw Group Four, with Yuna being the one that called out to him. Seeing that Akuro was lying down on the ground in a heap, they ran over to him to see if he was alright. Makie and Akira helped him up with Makie asking, "Are you alright Akari-sensei?"

"Ugh, I'm fine Sasaki-san. Just had a run in with a passing crowd…" Akuro shook his head to clear it and he looked at the girls of Group Four. Dusting off the dirt from his clothes, he looked around, "I don't recognize this part of Nara…"

After Makie and Akira let Akuro go, making sure he could stand on his own, Ako checked to see if he was hurt, "You have a bit of dirt on your face Akari-sensei. Other than that, you're perfectly fine."

"Ah, thanks Izumi-san." Akuro looked grateful to Ako as he wiped his face with his sleeve. He noticed Mana watching him, but it wasn't a suspicious look, instead she just looked observant. Looking away, he eyed the rest of the girls as Makie asked him, "Akari-sensei, weren't you supposed to be with Iincho's group?"

"Yeah, but we got separated," Akuro supplied, "Group One took me with them, we got separated and I met up with Group Two at a restaurant, then I got separated from them too, ending up here."

The girls found that a bit hard to believe, but Yuna decided to offer, "If that's the case, why don't you come with us? We're going to see a stage performance that's going to happen in an hour, and I hear that it's something hot right now. It's being performed at one of the shrines in this area."

Hearing that reminded Akuro of the first crowd that swept him away, hearing something about a stage performance. He wondered if what Yuna was saying was the same thing, and gave it a moment of thought before giving a reply, "Well, why not? Maybe it'll be something interesting."

"Okay then, let's get going everyone! We're going to have to pick up the pace if we want good seats!" Yuna shouted. The other sports girls agreed and they went forward, with Akuro and Mana behind them. He still had an odd feeling about Mana, but dismissed it as she didn't show any hostility towards him.

* * *

_Nara – stage area_

Group Four had dragged Akuro all the way to the shrine, though he was looking a bit tired at that point. They stopped by a few shops for a quick look at things, and that caused them to run to the shrine where the stage performance was taking place. During the hour though, Akuro learned a bit about each of the girls, though Mana was rather tightlipped about herself, and he mostly knew a bit about her from what the other girls said. Again, he told the background story that he's been telling everyone else, and thankfully they just listened with interest.

Now they were sitting in the audience, waiting for this stage performance to begin as Makie looked a bit enthusiastic, talking about Negi to Akuro, "So Negi-kun has a bit of a prankster spirit inside him?"

"Yeah, Akuro tended to be on the receiving end of those pranks, but they were mostly harmless…" Akuro remembered the time when Negi and Anya caught him off guard back in Wales and pushed him over the cliff into the water with Nekane watching. Inwardly, he gave a chuckle as Yuna wondered, "You know, Negi-sensei doesn't look like the type who would do pranks…"

"Well, I guess he got past that when we got more serious in our studies back at Oxford, but I'm sure that it's going to come back one of these days…" Seriously, Akuro wondered if Negi was too serious for his own good when Ako pointed towards the stage, "Look, it's starting!"

The performance seemed to be a mix of dances, showing what Akuro assumed was a timeline from old Japanese music to current ones. After it was over, there was an invitation from the crew that were doing the performance to come up on stage if anyone wanted to try some of the dances. Suffice to say, Group Four dragged Akuro along with them, since Mana just wanted to watch, and by the end, Akuro felt winded.

Now outside, the girls were talking about how fun doing the dances were, and Akuro was lagging behind, 'Whew, even for a Shinmei-ryu user like me, some of those dances can take quite a bit out of you…'

"Are you doing alright Akari-sensei?" Mana suddenly popped a question, making Akuro whip around to her in surprise, "You look pretty winded."

"Just need to catch my breath Tatsumiya-san." Akuro absently replied. He was surprised, since this was the first time he actually talked to Mana, "I think I'll stay back for a bit. Can you tell the girls that I'll be heading off by myself?"

"…Sure Sensei." Mana walked off, leaving Akuro by himself as he thought, 'Whew, now's the time to head back to the hotel, but first I'd better find the other groups and apologize…'

* * *

_Arashi hotel – outer perimeter_

Back at the hotel by himself, Akuro was pretty much exhausted from being on his feet all day. He had caught up to all of the groups earlier by using Instant Movement and apologized for disappearing on them at times. Now he was trying hard not to trip himself as he dragged his feet towards the hotel. He was crossing the bridge as he was lost in his thoughts, 'Man, I hope Negi and the others had an easier time than me… Who knew running around Nara all day can wear out someone like me…'

By the time he reached the entrance to the hotel, Akuro plopped onto one of the railing edges that surrounded the front and sat there, staring at the sky. Looking back on what happened, he couldn't help but sigh and think, 'Man, those girls sure are energetic at times. Makes me wonder how Negi can keep up with them…'

Staring off into the sky, his thoughts wandered to his memories, 'Kyoto…where everything began…as far as I can remember…'

* * *

Note: This chapter…didn't come out as well as I had hoped, to be honest. It started good with ideas, but as the time passed, the enthusiasm began to dwindle, and it ended up being rushed in some parts, since I just wanted this over with. However, if anyone has ideas for additional dialogue, especially during the time spent with the other four groups, then give a PM or something, and I'll edit this chapter in the future.


	15. Paparazzi Panic

Chapter 15 – Paparazzi Panic

_Arashi hotel – lobby_

"Guh, being led around by four of the five groups is exhausting…" Akuro muttered as he dragged himself into the lobby, looking forwards to getting some rest. He cracked his neck when he saw Negi up front, looking like he was in a panic. Walking up to the boy as he rolled on the ground, he eyed the boy mage carefully, "Negi, what are you doing?"

Some of the other students, consisting of Ayaka, Yuna, Makie, Fuuka, and Sakurako, were also watching Negi flail about in a panic, and wondered what he was doing too. They saw Negi get up and stutter, "O-oh, A-A-Akari it's y-you!"

That response confused everyone that heard it, concerning how much stuttering was in it, and that's when both Ayaka and Makie came out from behind a pillar with Ayaka greatly concerned for Negi, "What's wrong Negi-sensei?"

"Negi-kun, did something happen this afternoon at Nara park?" Makie added, her worry almost on the same level as Ayaka's.

Negi's panic level rose as he sputtered out, "N-no…nothing happened…! No one confessed to me or anything…!"

"Eh, confessed?" Ayaka looked shocked at Negi's words, not quite sure if she heard him correctly. Akuro blinked at that response as Makie shouted, "Eeh, is this true Negi-kun? Who was it?"

The others who were listening were shocked as well, while Negi covered his mouth in a panic. Akuro didn't have the strength to do anything as he just stood there watching the situation. He watched as Negi panicked, "No, um, not 'confess'. I meant c…cook! That's right, a cook was putting a cock in a soup, and…"

'The heck is he talking about?' Akuro thought in confusion as Negi seemed to realize that he wasn't making much sense either. It made him run off like a headless chicken in a panic, "I-I've got a meeting with Shizuna-sensei, so please excuse me!"

"Ah, just a minute Negi-kun!" Makie called out to him, "Who confessed to who?"

Negi was already long gone, with Ayaka and the others rounding onto Akuro, with Ayaka asking, "Akari-sensei, do you know what's wrong with Negi-sensei?"

"Sorry Ayaka-san, I'm just as confused as you are. This is the first time I've heard of Negi being confessed to, and in the state he's in, I don't think I'll get a proper answer out of him, if I can even find him." Akuro replied tiredly.

Everyone seemed to realize how worn Akuro looked and Yuna poked him, "Maybe you should lie down Akari-sensei, you don't look so good."

"I'll do that," Akuro's worn look became more noticeable to the girls, "Good luck with figuring out the mystery that's known as Negi Springfield…"

Everyone raised an eyebrow as they saw their tired assistant teacher walk off towards the rooms. Asuna and Setsuna, who were watching the whole thing, wondered if Akuro was alright as Asuna watched him walk, "Wow, Akari-sensei sure looked worn out just now."

"It's understandable," Setsuna commented, "From what I've heard, she spent all of her time with the other groups non-stop."

Ayaka and the others wondered what to do when their only answer was to get Kazumi Asakura on the case, since she's 3-A's journalist expert. In another part of the hotel, Negi couldn't help but shiver and think, 'Oh no, what am I going to do? Should I ask Akuro what to do, or what?'

Too bad for Negi, Akuro was unavailable at the moment, since he settled down on one of the couches in the halls and was zoning out a bit with a bottle of water in his hands. That's when Haruna and Yue passed by, and when they saw Akuro zoning out, they grew concerned as Haruna called out, "Akari-sensei?"

"Wha-?" Akuro jolted back into consciousness, whipping his head around to see who called out to him. He looked at the two girls and said, "Oh, Saotome-san, Ayase-san, is something the matter?"

"We should be asking you that Sensei, you look worn out." Yue looked at Akuro's state with a hint of concern behind her poker face. Haruna felt the same way as she added, "Don't tell me the class ran you ragged?"

"That's spot on Saotome-san. I'm just catching my breath, so to speak. It's been a long day." Akuro made a weak smile, but it didn't stay for long due to exhaustion.

There was a moment of silence before Haruna remembered something, "Oh yeah, thanks for carrying me after I passed out from drinking that wine water from the Otowa Waterfall. Yue here explained everything to me and Nodoka after we woke up."

"It's no problem, just doing my duty as a teacher." Akuro nodded to Haruna with a sigh. Haruna and Yue decided to go on with Haruna saying, "Well, we'll see you later Akari-sensei. Maybe you should hang out with our group tomorrow, since you've been with the others!"

"…I'll think about that." Akuro mused as he watched Haruna and Yue walk away, leaving him by himself. He was about to zone out again when two more people passed by, Chizuru and Natsumi. The two saw that Akuro was worn and Chizuru spoke up, "Ara, Akari-sensei? What are you doing here? Zoning out on the bench isn't good you know."

"Sorry about that Naba-san. I'm just a bit tired from today, not to mention a bit sore…" Akuro moaned, feeling a bit stiff in the shoulders.

"Hmm, how about I help you a bit Akari-sensei? I can massage your shoulders for a bit." Chizuru offered. Natsumi added, "Chizu-nee does it for me when I come home from a hard day of practice at the drama club Akari-sensei. It really helps."

Akuro considered it, and after thinking about it for a bit, he gave a weak nod, "…Alright, let's see what you can do Naba-san."

Chizuru sat down on the couch as Akuro turned his back towards her. Chizuru stretched out her arms and placed her hands on Akuro's shoulders, and he couldn't help but squirm slightly at the feeling. That's when she started massaging his shoulders, and Akuro instantly felt the feeling and gave a small, "Aaahh…" in response.

After a few minutes, Chizuru stopped and asked, "So, how do you feel Akari-sensei?"

The two stood up, and Akuro moved his neck to stretch out the kinks, "Emm, I feel much better, thanks Naba-san."

"It's no problem Akari-sensei. Though I must admit that you're much tenser then Natsumi-chan when she's stressed." Chizuru said with a smile.

"Uuuh, Chizu-nee…" Natsumi moaned. Akuro gave a smile and said, "Anyway, thanks for the massage Naba-san. I think I'll go outside for some fresh air now."

"See you later Akari-sensei." Chizuru and Natsumi said at the same time as they watched the assistant teacher leave. Akuro walked towards the entrance, still feeling a bit tired, but not as bad as earlier. He thought, 'Maybe a curative spell will help…'

* * *

_Arashi hotel – outside_

After Kazumi got the story from Nodoka, she was walking down the stairs as she held her tape recorder and was busy talking to herself, "…Well, I've finished gathering all the data so far… Ugh, man, I can't make a story out of this…"

She smiled as thoughts ran through her mind, "It would cause a real mess if everyone else were to hear it, so it's better if I keep this one to myself."

Pressing the rewind button on the recorder, Kazumi added, "I'll just let the romance continue at it's own pace… I'll just destroy this…sorry Iincho!"

Putting her hands behind her back, Kazumi said in a bored tone, "Phew, our class sure is peaceful… I need a big scoop that'll get their blood pumping!"

Kazumi went down the next flight of stairs and spotted Negi walking out the door with a tired expression like the one Akuro had when he came in. Kazumi thought, 'Oh? Isn't that Negi-sensei? Hmm, maybe I should get an interview from the man himself?'

However, seeing the look on Negi's face made her whisper, "Ara…looks like he's really worried about something… Receiving a confession, it must be shocking for a ten year old though…"

Following Negi outside, she watched the entire scene where Negi jumped forward to save a cat from a van, using magic to flip the van into the air, making land on the other side in perfect condition. Kazumi was in shock and initially though it was something like Akido until she heard Chamo speak, "Hehe…that's my Aniki! Even when he's feeling out of it, he's still got it where it counts! But you should try to avoid using showy magic like that!"

"Uh, sorry about that Chamo." Negi apologized. Kazumi was in deeper shock as she thought, 'What the…did that ermine just s-speak?"

"Anyway, I'm just glad no one saw us," Chamo looked around, apparently not seeing anyone in sight, "We'd better get out of here."

"And drop off the cat somewhere safe too." Negi added with good measure. They got on his staff and flew away, with Kazumi watching everything. She was silent for a bit before tears of joy went down her face as she thought, 'T-t-this is it! My ultra super huge scoop!'

Before Kazumi could get inside, she saw Akuro walk off to the side of the building, and she couldn't help but wonder, 'Akari-sensei…? Where's she going?'

Quietly following Akari, Kazumi was led to a nearby clearing in the trees, and as she watched, Akuro gave a quick look around, "This looks like a good spot."

'What's she doing?' Kazumi thought in excitement, still high from finding out about Negi's magic.

That's when she saw Akuro raise his right hand and chant, "Mucro est meus Animus, Vigoratus vulnus per Jupiteras venia quod vox, Phantasm Rememdium!"

Suddenly, Akuro was enveloped in a green light that seemed to mesmerize Kazumi. The light lasted only for a few seconds before it died, though from what she could see, Akuro didn't look any different. That's when she heard him say in relief, "Aaahh, that feels much better. Though that healing spell is more inclined to heal physical wounds, the refreshing feeling it gives really does help."

Kazumi couldn't believe what she was hearing as Akuro went on, "Well, might as well head back to the hotel now. Better go check on Negi before I really crash and burn…"

As Akuro made his way back to the hotel, Kazumi was practically jumping at what she saw and thought, 'Oh my gosh, not only Negi-sensei, but Akari-sensei too! This has got to be the best thing that's ever happened!'

* * *

_Arashi hotel – bathroom_

Kazumi had made her way back to the hotel and secluded herself in one of the bathrooms. As she sat on the seat, Kazumi's thoughts were running wild about Negi's identity as a mage, 'A super hero? An ally of justice from outer space? A magical girl (boy version) who's come to the world of humans for training? This is just crazy, but I've got the evidence right here!'

She then turned her thoughts to Akari, 'What about her? A super human? A secret government experiment? Or a magical girl that's hiding out on Earth from evil forces? Akari-sensei's a hard one to figure out, but I wonder if she and Negi-sensei are in it together?'

Taking out both pictures of Negi flying on his staff, and Akuro in the middle of his spell, Kazumi muttered, "No matter which ones they are, there's no doubt that this is the biggest news I've ever encountered. The problem is…just how should I report this?"

Looking back on her memories and past pictures, Kazumi reminisced, "Come to think of it, there were a few odd things like that in some of the pictures I've taken in the past. Fufufu…to think that stuff like this was so close all along, and I never realized it!"

That's when Kazumi jumped up with excitement, "However, in order to truly shock the world, one piece of evidence is not going to be enough!" She then mentally added, 'One could say that these were edited with CG anyway…'

"All right! If it's come to this, then…" Kazumi's voice dropped, though those outside the door couldn't help but sweat drop thinking that Kazumi went a bit off the crazy end. They figured that she must have found something interesting for her to be so riled up, so they left her alone for now, since something like that tended to happen.

* * *

_Arashi hotel – baths_

A bit later, Negi and Akuro were in the baths, though Akuro had secluded himself to a corner to relax after explaining to Negi about the sex-change pill he took to reinforce his disguise. Chamo was shocked to hear that Akuro got a very expensive item just to reinforce the disguise of Akari Sakuraba. They couldn't help but wonder why Akuro would go so far as to keep up the disguise, though it did explained the towel wrapped around his body, but Negi shook it off as he gave a long sigh, unable to give it more thought. Chamo mentioned, "Hey, hey, Aniki! Don't make such a pitiful sound!"

"Leave him alone Chamo. I think he just needs some time to clear his head." Akuro told the ermine off lazily as he started to zone out again.

"That's not the point Akuro-nii!" Chamo shot back, "If Aniki let's his guard down, we'll have girls coming in here again!"

"Again?" Akuro couldn't help but ask, but Negi assured them, "It'll be fine…this is 'Sensei-time'… students can't come in…"

All Akuro did was groan as he heard Negi say, "Haaah…but I've sure got a lot on my plate, even with Akuro's help…"

Chamo looked up and saw something saying, "Huh, someone's coming!"

Akuro got on guard and kept out of sight as Shizuna walked in saying, "Ara, Negi-sensei!"

Negi went into a panic and dove into the water saying, "S-Shizuna-sensei?"

Going over to the edge of the water, Akuro quietly snuck around as Shizuna didn't notice his presence, "You did great today! Do you want me to wash your back?"

"N-no, that's a-all right…" Negi sputtered, a bit in a panic. Akuro couldn't help but find Shizuna's behavior a bit odd for his taste, and felt that something was off. That's when he heard Shizuna say to Negi in a slightly mischievous tone, "Uhuhuhu…the truth is, Negi-sensei…I know all about your little secret…Akari-sensei's too."

That made Akuro freeze in his tracks, while Negi whipped around in surprise saying, "Eh? W-what do you mean by that?"

Shizuna looked at Negi intently as she said, "You…are a mage, right? Akari-sensei too…right?"

Now Akuro knew something was up as he continued to quietly circle the bath. Negi was in a panic thinking, 'What do I do, and where's Akuro?' He tried to figure it out while trying to find a way out, "Eeehhh? D…did you hear that from the Dean? B-but…!"

"Hmm, well…I wouldn't know about that, but I have a request…" Shizuna started. She put on a thoughtful look as she looked at the shaking boy mage, "I…want to see Negi-kun's magic, please?"

Negi flipped out and responded, "Eeeehhh? I-I can't do that! I can't-mmmffff!"

Shizuna pulled Negi into her chest while saying, "Neee…show me Negi-kun!"

Akuro was now behind Shizuna as Negi suddenly stopped struggling so much. The sudden cease made Shizuna wonder, "Hm? What's wrong Negi-kun? Do you really like them that much?"

Negi backed away, and saw Akuro behind Shizuna, ready to strike. However, he addressed a certain issue first which nearly made Akuro's eyes widen, "Shizuna-sensei…did your breasts get smaller? I know it's rude to ask, but…"

Obviously, Shizuna was offended by that remark and her tongue slipped, "W-wha…? How rude, I'm the fourth largest in the class, you know! I even let you touch them!"

Before Negi could react to that, Akuro made his move and pinned 'Shizuna's' arms behind her and held them with one hand, while he pointed his other hand at her throat. 'Shizuna' was caught by surprise as Akuro demanded, "Alright, who are you?"

"A-Akari-sensei? S-since when have you been here?" 'Shizuna' asked with slight panic, shocked at Akuro's sudden appearance.

"I've been here all this time," Akuro supplied for her, "Now answer, who are you? It's obvious that you aren't Shizuna, after what just happened."

"Guh, I've been figured out," Shizuna said, "I guess I don't have a choice now do I?"

That's when Akuro noticed a hint of red in Shizuna's hair, and he reached for it, realizing that the hair was a wig. Pulling it off, the wig and mask, they saw that it was actually Kazumi in disguise. The shock made Akuro let go and she pulled back saying, "Yup, one moment I'm the big breasted teacher…and the next, I'm a breaking news reporter! My true identity is 3-A, seat three, Kazumi Asakura!"

Akuro gritted his teeth at that as he looked away on instinct, while Negi shouted, "Aaaahh! Asakura-san?"

"This is bad! She's found out about us! Erase her memory!" Chamo shouted.

Negi raised his wand, while Akuro lifted his right hand and ring, and while the two were about to chant, Kazumi stopped them by saying, "Woah, hold it!"

Kazumi held up a cell phone and said, "Do you see this phone? Don't make a move!"

Both mages couldn't help but freeze as Kazumi went on, "With one press of the 'send' button, I'll send both of your secrets straight to my homepage for the world to see!"

Akuro couldn't believe the situation they were in as Negi shouted in shock, "Eeeehh? My secret…for the world to see?"

"Ugh, I can't believe it…" Akuro muttered in disbelief. Chamo said, "Aniki, Akari-nee, this Ane-san really will do it! If you two don't listen to her, everyone in the world will find out about the two of you, and then the both of you will be turned into ermines!"

"Say what?" Akuro shouted, not liking the situation as it sunk deeper. Negi was back in panic mode as he said, "Uuu…w-why are you doing this…?"

Kazumi had their backs to the proverbial wall as Akuro thought, 'Guh, I can't even do anything…I might be able to get the phone out of her hands, but the chances of hurting her are high if I do that…'

Meanwhile, Kazumi answered, "Fufu…because it's a scoop! It's all for the sake of the scoop!

"Sorry about this Negi-sensei, Akari-sensei…but I'm going to have the two of you cooperate with my global ambition…" Kazumi's ambitious nature appeared on her face with a smile.

Both Negi and Akuro were confused, hearing what Kazumi told them as the two said at the same time, "Global…ambition…?"

"That's right!" Kazumi shouted, "I'll have the eyes of the world on me with the discovery of real live mages! I'll have exclusive interviews, and both the newspapers and magazines of the world will be crawling at my feet!"

'Sounds like a weird case of global domination to me…' Akuro mentally commented as Kazumi went on, "The two of you, the popular magic duo, will star in TV dramas and novels produced by me! Both of you will even get a Hollywood movie as we go worldwide!"

Akuro couldn't help but let his mouth drop in shock, while Negi panicked, "I-I don't want that! I have no interest in going worldwide! If everyone finds out about us, we'll be turned into ermines!"

Kazumi didn't seem to hear that last part as she kept on talking about her ambitions, "No problem, I guarantee the both of you equal shares of the profits Negi-kun, Akari-sensei!"

That's when she grabbed Negi and Akuro by the shoulders and asked, "So, how about it? Feel like showing me some magic now? You too Akari-sensei, since you're here."

Unable to respond, Akuro turned to Negi, who was getting worse by the second. Apparently Kazumi didn't realize it as she said, "I mean, aren't the two of you bored of being just teachers? Wouldn't it be better to be able to use magic whenever the two of you wanted to?"

Negi was having a hard time stringing together a sentence, but Akuro managed to say, "Kazumi-san, if we were able to use magic anytime, we would use it in an instant! There's a reason we keep it secret!"

"Oh, and why-?" Kazumi started to ask, when all of a sudden Negi's magic went berserk, and he cried out shouting, "Uwaaaaah! I don't want that! I-I want to be a teacher!"

Akuro instinctively stepped back from the crazy magic as Negi's wind magic went rampant. He tried to call out to him, but the magic was too strong that it drowned out his voice, when he realized that Kazumi was still in his vicinity and was on the verge of being blown away. It happened a second later as Kazumi was thrown into the air by the magic, and Akuro instinctively jumped up to catch her, using a wind spell to propel himself.

Negi realized what had happened and went after them as well, with Akuro managing to catch her with one arm. She took a shot of Akuro surrounded by wind before he caught her though, before Negi came around and grabbed Akuro's other hand. Kazumi held on tightly to Akuro as she took another shot of Negi on his staff, which made him slightly uncomfortable. However, he managed to ask "You alright Kazumi?"

Both Negi and Akuro felt a slight chill in the air as Kazumi managed to calm down, though she was holding onto Akuro rather tightly for his comfort. That's when she gave a triumphant look to the two, "Ah, you used magic Akari-sensei, you too Negi-kun…and I got the perfect shot of both Negi-kun and Akari-sensei!"

"Shoot!" Akuro said in realization and Negi panicked, nearly letting go of Akuro. Kazumi held up her cell and showed it to them "Take a look! Here's my conclusive evidence!"

Too bad for her, Kazumi was holding up a broken cell phone and as Negi brought them down, Meanwhile, Akuro couldn't help but laugh and comment with sarcasm, "Real conclusive evidence Kazumi, I'm sure it'll prove lots of things."

Back in the water, Kazumi let go of Akuro while realizing that her camera was totally ruined, thanks to Negi's magic and her tight grip, "Aaah! My phone is broken!"

Suddenly, they heard other voices, one of which said, "Hey! What's going on over there? What's with all the crying?"

That's when Asuna, Yuna, Ayaka, Makie, and Fuuka walked in, and saw both Negi and Kazumi together. They were shocked at the scene and accusations flew by, but Kazumi tried to point out, "Wait, Akari-sensei's here too, so-!"

"What do you mean by that Asakura-san?" Ayaka shouted, "I don't see her around here!"

Both Negi and Kazumi looked around, and saw that Akuro had disappeared. Chamo couldn't help but comment quietly, "It looks like Akari-nee's given the both of you the slip!"

In the midst of the chaos, Akuro had quietly slipped into the change room muttering, "Sorry Negi, Kazumi, but I really don't want to be a part of that right now…I'll apologize later."

Akuro quickly dried himself and put on his clothes, listening to the shouts coming from the bath. He couldn't help but think, 'Well, I guess I better go rescue them instead…It's getting quite loud in there…'

With that, Akuro entered the baths after getting fully dressed, and managed to defuse the situation. However, the next problem was right around the corner, namely being Kazumi finding out about his and Negi's secret as mages.

* * *

Note: I've been using an online Latin translator in making original spells, but some of the things that's been popping up have been confusing. One of them happens to be the Latin translation of Jupiter, for example, Jovis, like in the Cura and Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens spells, happens to be translated into Jupiter, but when I input it into the translator, it comes out as Jupiteras. I just need someone to clarify if they're both right or something. Other than that, here's the full translation of the spell.

Phantasm Cure – a medium level healing spell that can cure medium wounds and slightly refresh the body, consider it the equivalent of Final Fantasy's Cura spell

English: Heal the wounds with Jupiter's grace and power, Phantasm Cure

Latin: Vigoratus vulnus per Jupiteras venia quod vox, Phantasm Rememdium


	16. Pactio Panic Part 1

Chapter 16 – Pactio Panic Part 1

_Arashi hotel – lobby_

Later, Negi and Akuro were confronted by both Asuna and Setsuna, though it was more Asuna freaking out and Setsuna just standing there looking all pretty and quiet as she observed. Asuna converged on the two after Negi explained everything, "Eeehh? Someone found out that both of you are mages? And of all people…Asakura?"

Akuro just sat there with his eyes closed, looking like he had a migraine while Negi just sat there looking sheepishly and a bit upset at the same time, "Y-yes…*sniff*"

As Asuna talked to Negi, Setsuna turned to Akuro and asked, "Couldn't you have tried to at least get the phone away Sak-ahem, Akari-sensei?"

"I could've, but the chance of hurting Kazumi was extremely high Setsuna," Akuro replied, "You know that our art isn't 'nice' if you catch my drift, and with her finger right on the 'Send' button it was hard to act. That put me in a tough spot, since even chanting spells takes time."

That's when they heard Asuna say to Negi, "Well, it's all over for you at least. I guess everyone's going to find out you're a mage. You at least will be turned into an ermine and sent home!"

"What-? Please, give me some advice-wait, why only me?" Negi shouted in a panic.

"Hey, Negi-sensei!" Kazumi greeted as she walked over to them. Chamo was on her shoulder as he saw Negi, "So you were here Aniki!"

Akuro opened his eyes and got up as Negi jumped up in surprise and sputtered out, "Uwah! A-Asakura-san!"

"Hey Asakura! Don't pick on him okay? He's just a kid." Asuna defended, hoping that Kazumi wouldn't reveal the secret of magic. Akuro smirked and joked around a bit, "I wonder who's gonna get booted first, me or Negi?"

Negi turned to Akuro in a panic, while Kazumi raised her eyebrow towards Asuna, "Pick on him? What are you talking about? Not to mention, didn't you used to say that you hate kids?"

"That's right! This reporter-nee-san is on our side now!" Chamo added with a grin. Suddenly, Akuro started laughing as he coughed out, "A-Asuna-san hates kids? Man, is she a grumpy obaa-san or something? Fufufu…"

Everyone else except Asuna and Negi couldn't help but giggle at that as Asuna shouted angrily, "Who's a grumpy obaa-san?"

Setsuna tried hard to conceal her amusement as she cleared her throat and spoke up, "You must admit Kagurazaka-san, it does sound like something an old, grumpy obaa-san would say."

"Guh…" Asuna couldn't say anymore as the giggling died down. That's when Negi turned to Kazumi with a curious expression, "What do you mean, on our side?"

Clearing her throat of any lasting giggles, Kazumi gave a wink to Negi, "I, news club breaking news division member Kazumi Asakura, have been moved by Chamo-chi's passion, so I'll be acting as yours and Akari-sensei's agents in order to protect both your secrets Negi-sensei. Nice working with you two!"

Negi's face immediately brightened up, while Akuro raised an eyebrow when Kazumi mentioned Chamo's passion. Kazumi went over to Negi, taking out the pictures she had on her and handing them to the boy mage, "I'll give the evidence photos I've been taking up to now back to you."

"Yay! All right, thank you Asakura-san!" Negi was jumping with joy as he took the pictures from Kazumi.

As Negi went back over to Asuna's side while crying tears of joy, Akuro went up to Kazumi and gave her a skeptical look, "When you mentioned Chamo's 'passion', you meant that he somehow bribed you, didn't he?"

Chamo looked a bit scandalized, while Kazumi whispered into his ear, "Let's just say that I find things more interesting if I hang around you and Negi-kun."

"…I guess that's fine…" Akuro said with a sigh after thinking about it. That's when Ayaka, Makie, and Yuna stopped by after they had their baths, with Ayaka noticing Negi's uppity behavior, "What's going on, Negi-sensei?"

Negi was still in his 'happy' mode as he addressed everyone, "Ah everyone, Otsukare-sama! Actually, I was just improving my relationship with Asakura-san just now!"

Kazumi went up to him and winked while grabbing his shoulder, "That's right!"

Akuro couldn't help but giggle at that, and when both Asuna and Setsuna looked at him, he let out, "God, that can be taken in so many different ways…ha…aha…"

Both girls just shook their head as one of the teachers, who Akuro recognized as Nitta, came around and shouted, "Hey you girls! It's almost time for bed! Hurry up and get back to your own rooms!"

He then turned to Negi and added, "Don't get too soft with your students Negi-sensei! That goes for you too Akari-sensei!'

"Y-yes, I'm sorry." Negi said. Akuro just gave a nod as the students walked away to their own rooms. Kazumi had disappeared somewhere, along with Chamo, but the four didn't think much of it. As Asuna and Setsuna went down one way, Akuro turned to Negi and said, "C'mon, let's go on our own patrol Negi."

"O-okay!" Negi said, and the two went along their own way, unaware that there was something in store for them.

* * *

_Arashi hotel – hallway_

After being chewed out by Nitta and the other teachers, most of 3-A were in the halls when Kazumi appeared, and declared the 'Love-Love Kiss' operation which involved Negi. After explaining it and was approved by Ayaka, she whispered excitedly, "All right! Every group should let me know which two contestants they will be choosing before 10:30! Also, there's going to be something special added before the game's starts, so look forward to it!"

3-A was all excited about the event, and they were wondering what the special thing that was going to be added as they all went back to their rooms. Kazumi had a mischievous look on her face as she asked Chamo, "Huhu…how was that? Everything went well, right?"

Chamo popped out from Kazumi's vest and grinned, "Just what I expected from Nee-san! Everything's going according to plan!"

"Hey, where do you think you're hiding? You're a real pervert, you know?" Kazumi mused when she saw where Chamo currently was hiding as she walked over to a private room.

The ermine ignored that part as he revealed his true intentions, "Huhuhu…my big Love-Love operation's real objective…" Chamo then pulled out three Pactio cards and said, "The cards of contract! We're gonna get a whole bunch of them!"

Kazumi took the cards and looked at them with an amused impression, "Hoho…so these are the 'wonderful prizes' huh? All we've got to do is collect them, right?"

"That's right!" Chamo replied, "Aniki has the originals, but these are copies I've made with my powers for the partners to use! Anyway, I've already set up a magic circle around this entire hotel! If anyone kisses Aniki or Akari while they're in the hotel, we'll be able to establish a contract immediately!"

Both of them started laughing as Chamo lips kept on spilling, "One card is worth fifty thousand ermine dollars, so…awawa! We're gonna be millionaires Nee-san!"

Kazumi laughed with excitement as she added, "And what's more, we're gonna make even more money out of the betting pools for the contest! This is so great! I just can't stop laughing!"

That's when a thought came to Kazumi and she asked, "I know that Negi-kun has contracts from what you've shown me, but does Akari have any?"

"Actually, he does. Two of them, in fact" Chamo informed his partner proudly. Kazumi however, caught onto something and questioned, "Huh? 'He'?"

Chamo covered his mouth, realizing his mistake, but Kazumi, being the ever poking reporter, grilled it out of him and Chamo eventually explained, "Look Nee-san, all I can say is that Akari Sakuraba is actually a false alias. You're going to have to ask him for the details yourself, since the information is very sensitive. It's life and death serious."

Kazumi's eyes narrowed at that and she asked, "He's not dangerous, is he?" Her mind flashed back to when Akuro attacked her from behind in the baths earlier.

"No, he's a good person," Chamo's attitude became all serious, which surprised the reporter, "It's more about circumstances. I know for a fact that he doesn't like being in a female disguise for very long, but puts up with it when it counts."

"Alright, I talk to him later in private," Kazumi muttered thoughtfully as she looked at the ermine, "Then what about these Pactios of, uh…"

"Just call him Akari like you always do for now Nee-san. It's safer that way, for you, for me, and for him." Chamo told her.

"Fu, fine. Then what about these Pactios of Akari-sensei's?" Kazumi asked.

Chamo conjured up two cards and said, "Here are Akari-nee's Pactio cards, though his partners are far away from what I can tell."

The ermine handed Kazumi the two cards and she took a look at the first one. The first card showed Nekane holding a bladed rapier that had a chain connected to the hit, ending in a black rose symbol, and had silver armor over her dress. There were black rose petals flowing down behind her in the background, looking like they were raining down upon her as she gave a proud, yet happy expression. Kazumi looked at the name and since it was in English, she struggled to say, "Nekane…Spring…field? Nekane Springfield…? Wait, isn't she…?"

"Yup, that's Aniki's sister, though they're really cousins," Chamo informed Kazumi, "Though even Aniki doesn't know about this Pactio though. Both he and Nekane decided to keep it a secret from him for now, so only the four of us, including you, only know about it. There's a story to this one, but I've been sworn to secrecy by both of them, so I can't say anything about it Nee-san."

"Oh fine…" Kazumi looked at Nekane's picture and commented, "She sure is pretty though…"

Kazumi went to look at the other card, and it showed a woman with long black hair wearing a miko uniform, holding two katanas in her hand, with one that was pitch black, and the other that was white as snow. Kazumi couldn't help but think that the woman had the same feel as Setsuna when she looked at her picture and compared the two. She read the name and said, "Motoko…Aoyama…? Who's that?"

"Not sure, though I heard Akari-nee talk about the Aoyama's earlier. I didn't really understand it, and I didn't even know about this Pactio until I went through some of his things a few days ago. Must've used the spare circle I gave him…" Chamo looked a bit in thought as he looked at the card.

"Well, at least we know that Akari-sensei can have Pactios too, but everyone sees Akari-sensei as a girl," Suddenly, Kazumi blushed when she remembered how tightly she held onto Akuro after she was thrown into the air. She shook it off quickly and continued, "So how do we get the participants to kiss 'her'?"

"Don't worry about that," Chamo gave an 'up to no good' grin, "I have just the thing…"

* * *

_Arashi hotel – Negi and Akuro's room_

Negi and Akuro were sitting down on the floor, looking slightly tired, though Akuro was putting up a strong front despite how he felt. Negi stretched as he looked at the clock, "Haaaah…it's going to be eleven o'clock soon. It looks like today was a disaster too…"

"What are you talking about Negi? There hasn't been any sign of the enemy at all today." Akuro eyed Negi as he lazily stretched.

Before Negi could reply to that, Asuna and Setsuna showed up with Asuna informing them, "Negi, Akari-sensei, we're back from our patrol."

"There were no signs of abnormalities. I've made the barrier stronger too. Chamo seems to have cast some kind of weird spell as well… I wonder what he's up to…" Setsuna added, making everyone wonder what Chamo was up to.

Both Negi and Akuro got up with Negi the one to speak, "Okay, Akari and I will go on the next patrol. For some reason, I'm getting a weird feeling about tonight. Like it would be better for me not to be here or something…"

Akuro raised an eyebrow at that, but he did feel something strange in the air. Setsuna felt it too saying, "Now that you mention it, I can feel something weird in the air too. Although it's not hostile…"

"But wouldn't the teachers worry if you and Akari-sensei disappear in the middle of the night?" Asuna asked them, looking a bit concerned.

Setsuna seemed to have a solution to that as she took out what looked like people shaped pieces of paper and held them out to Negi, "Hmm…well then, I'll lend you these 'substitution stencils' for now Negi-sensei."

"Substitution stencils?" Negi asked.

Before either Setsuna or Akuro could explain what Substitution Stencils were, the door suddenly opened, prompting Setsuna and Asuna to hide quickly. It was Shizuna and she had her usual smile, "Negi-sensei, Akari-sensei! It's almost time to sleep!"

Akuro raised an eyebrow again as Negi smiled back, "Ah, Shizuna-sensei, Akari and I were just about to go to sleep."

"We'll watch over the students then. Please leave everything to us! Since the both of you are still young, you two can sleep when the students do." Shizuna informed them.

"O-okay…" Negi and Akuro watched Shizuna run off saying, "Don't leave your room, okay you two? Ah, so many things to do!"

"Sure…" Akuro said with a bit of skepticism. He turned to Negi and asked, "Hey, didn't it seem like Shizuna-sensei was acting odd just now?"

"Hmm…maybe…" Negi shrugged, not sure what to make of it. The two of them closed the door as Akuro said, "About those substitution stencils Negi…"

* * *

_Arashi hotel – private room_

Kazumi had entered the room where she was running the operation, and was currently introducing the pairs that were participating in the operation. After introducing them, she then put on her ambitious look, "Okay now, the special thing that I mentioned earlier. The contestants already know this, but it's time to unveil the other surprise. The target is actually Akari-sensei's lips this time, in addition to Negi-kun's!"

The girls watching were shocked at that announcement, and they started to question if kissing another girl was alright when Kazumi said, "I know kissing a girl is odd in this case, so there's bonus to the prize if one of our contestants kisses Akari-sensei. In addition to the prize that's the same as the one to who kisses Negi-kun, the bonus is a fifty thousand yen prize!"

The bonus prize shocked the 3-A girls and one of them, Madoka didn't believe what Kazumi said, "There's no way that prize is real!"

In another room, Ako wondered, "You think Asakura-san's just throwing a fib?"

"Oh, and to those who think I'm lying," Kazumi informed the audience with a smirk, as if she heard their thoughts, "Here's the prize in question."

Kazumi took out a small bunch of yen notes and showed them to the viewers, and they saw that they were indeed authentic. She smiled, "Don't worry; I didn't rob anyone or anything. These were provided to me by a sponsor who I won't say, and the contestants saw this too." She then winked and announced, "All right, let the game begin!"

* * *

_Arashi hotel – Negi and Akuro's room_

Suddenly, both Negi and Akuro got a chill, and while Akuro just shook it off, Negi looked around in concern, "Uuu…? What's this cold feeling? I guess it was right to go on patrol."

Akuro didn't say anything as he went through his things looking for a certain item. As he searched, he heard Negi say, "I guess I'll use those substitute stencils Setsuna-san gave me…"

"Don't forget Negi, you have to use a brush to right your name." Akuro reminded him. He then muttered, "For some reason, a regular pen doesn't seem to work…"

"I know Akuro…" Negi took a stencil as he picked up the brush and started writing. However, he kept messing up and it took several tries until he managed to get his name right, throwing the messed up ones in the trash.

Meanwhile, Akuro finally found the item he was looking for; an old substitution stencil that had the name 'Akari Sakuraba' on it. The paper looked old and dirty, and the name looked like it was written in blood, since it was a dark brownish color. That's when Negi came over and said, "Look Akuro, did I do it right?"

Taking a look at the stencil, Akuro said, "Yeah, you did it right Negi. You remember the chant, right?"

"Of course." Negi said, and he was about to say it when he noticed the stencil in Akuro's hand. He asked, "What's with that stencil Akuro? It looks old and…stuff."

"Oh, it's a practice that Yojiro-sensei taught me and the others. All I can say is that this is like a mixed substitution stencil and shikigami. It's hard to explain, so I'll tell you all about it later, alright?" Akuro gave the paper a good look to make sure it was still in good condition.

"Okay…Charm-san, charm-san, please take my place." Negi said. The substitution stencil poofed into existence saying, "Hello, my name is Negi."

Negi was impressed by the substitution and said, "Waah! That's pretty cool, it looks just like me! We don't have any spells like this in the west…"

Akuro looked over and saw that it was a success. He turned to his own stencil and chanted, "Charm-san, charm-san, take the form of my other half and bring it into existence."

Hearing that made Negi interested in what was happening, since it was different from the chant he used. Akuro felt a bit of his energy being drained from him as the substitution puffed into existence, showing another Akari. Akari said, "Hello master, what are your orders?"

"Wow, that's amazing Akuro!" Negi praised, looking excited. Akari turned to him and greeted with a small smile, "Hello Negi-sama."

Negi was surprised by that as Akuro gave a quick explanation, "Higher levels of substitution have more intelligence. I'll tell you the details later like I said; just give yours it's orders for now."

"Alright…" Negi went over to his substitution, which just repeated, "My name is Negi!"

Akari looked at the substitution and commented, "It looks dumb to me…"

"Whatever Akari, just stay here and pretend to sleep in my place. Also, make sure Negi's substitution doesn't do anything weird, alright?"

"Okay master." Akari nodded as she went over to the futon Akuro's sleeps in and sat down in front of it. Akuro turned to Negi and asked, "Ready to go Negi?"

"Yes, I'm all set." Negi replied. The two grabbed what they needed and put away everything unnecessary before they went to the window. When they were outside, both Negi and Akuro jumped down with Negi saying, "We're going off to patrol now!"

"All right, see you later!" Both the Negi substitution and Akari said. As they dropped down, Akuro couldn't help but think, 'I swear I forgot to tell Negi something about the substitutions…maybe I'm imagining things…'

Back in the room, the Negi substitution closed the window and curtains when the trash can started glowing. Akari looked over and didn't like what she was seeing, "Uh oh, this isn't good…"

Four more Negi substitutions came out of it, with them saying various names like 'Nugi', 'Migi', and 'Hogi Nupringfield'. Akari looked over to the Negi substitution while asking, "How are we going to deal with this dummy Negi?"

"My name is Negi!" The substitute Negi said. Akari winced and muttered, "This is going to be a long while before master gets back…"

* * *

Note: I really don't know how to make proper Pactios, and it took a lot of searching for the information on each aspect of the Pactio. All I can provide is some data on the card I made for Nekane, and the story behind the two cards will come to light much later in the story, not to mention the data on Motoko's card. For now, here's the data I created for Nekane's card:

Nekane:

Artifact Name: Alica Offendo/Spell Striker – will reveal the artifact's abilities in a much later chapter

Title: Exspecto Virgo (Waiting Maiden)

Number: II

Color/Tonus: Nigror (Black)

Direction/Directio: Oriens (East)

Celestial Affinity/Astralitas: Venus

Virtue/Virtus: Spes (Hope)


	17. Pactio Panic Part 2

Chapter 16 – Pactio Panic Part 2

_Arashi hotel – outer perimeter_

"Ehehe…this Japanese Onmyoudou stuff is amazing! I managed to copy myself with nothing more than these pieces of paper." Negi was still excited about how he managed to do Japanese magic so easily. Akuro looked at Negi with amusement as he heard him wonder, "Hmm, I wonder if my double is doing okay?"

"I wouldn't worry about it Negi," Akuro assured him, "You did it correctly, so there shouldn't be any problems. The worst thing that could happen is that they might say something out of place slightly, but that's about it."

"I guess you're right Akuro; since you're also an expert at this particular bit of Onmyoudou," Negi grinned with enthusiasm as he looked at Akuro, "Now then, back to patrolling!"

As Akuro ran after Negi, he couldn't help but have an odd feeling in his head and thought, 'Hmm, I hope Akari can hold things together. She might be a bit unstable due to the paper being old, but I'm sure she'll hold out until we get back. I guess it's time that I have to make a new one and redo the ritual…'

"Hurry up Akuro!" Negi shouted, looking impatient just standing there. Akuro shook his head and he grumbled, "Call me Akari! Who knows who heard that?"

* * *

_Arashi hotel – Negi and Akuro's room_

Akari was in a bind as she saw four more Negi clones come into existence, with each one introducing themselves as 'Nugi', 'Migi', 'Hogi Nupringfield', and 'Yagi'. As Akari wondered what to do, she looked at the faces of each of the substitutions and muttered, "Heh, it's like the Baka Rangers, Negi version and a lot more dumber…"

"Hello, I'm Negi," The Negi clone spoke up, "It seems like quite a lot of you have been created."

"That's right!"

"Yaresshh…"

"Yes~."

"Un."

Akari's eye closed and she shook her head when she heard those responses. Meanwhile the Negi clone said, "I've been given orders to go sleep in here…"

"I have no orders…"

"Nor I~."

"Nor I."

"Me neither."

That's when they all turned to Akari and she said, "What?"

"What do you think the others should do Akari-sama?" The Negi clone asked, "You are higher in the substitution hierarchy after all…"

"Hierarchy? Oh, that's right…I forgot…" Akari muttered, "Well…why don't the four dummies watch TV or something? Just don't do anything weird and stay put until Master and Negi-sama get back."

"That sounds like a plan." The Negi clone said as it got into the futon to pretend to sleep.

"Alright…"

"Alright~."

"Okay."

"Sounds good."

As they turned on the TV and sat down to watch. Akari stayed in a corner to watch them, since they were sitting on the futon that she was supposed to be in. She closed her eyes and muttered, "I hope Master and Negi-sama get back soon, though there's something weird in the air that I just don't like…"

* * *

_Arashi hotel_

In the private room that had all the equipment set up, Chamo just got a look on the radar that showed the Negi clones and Akari in the room as dots, "That's the cue Nee-san!"

"Alright, let's see who'll be the first to reach Negi-sensei and Akari-sensei's room and claim the prizes!" Kazumi worked up the excitement that was going to happen, "The Negi-sensei/Akari-sensei Love-Love Kiss operation is about to begin! Broadcasting live is Kazumi Asakura from the news club. Let's see the current situation…

"Currently, groups two, three, and four are on a collision course with each other. I bet that there's going to be a skirmish between them soon enough!" Kazumi informed the audience.

To group four, Yuna and Makie, they were walking cautiously when Makie whispered, "Yuna, hey Yuna!"

"What is it?" Yuna whispered back. Makie whispered, "I heard that Negi-kun and Akari-sensei are in a teacher's room, but I'm sure that Demon Nitta is keeping watch nearby somewhere! What are we going to do?"

"Fufu…all we have to do is let our opponents get rid of him somehow, maybe a distraction…" Yuna whispered back. Makie thought, 'Hmm, a kiss with Negi-kun…I hope I can get it!'

Yuna had different thoughts then her partner, 'If Makie's going for Negi-sensei, then I'll go for Akari-sensei for a total victory belonging to group four. Though it's going to be weird giving my first kiss to a girl…but the fifty thousand yen is quite the prize along with the mystery one…'

With group three, Ayaka and Chisame, Chisame had a look on her face as she whispered, "Hey Iincho! Are sure I can't go back now?"

"Chisame-san, you give up way too easily!" Ayaka hissed. As they went on Ayaka thought, 'Negi-sensei's lips will be mine! I'll defend them to the death if I have to!'

Meanwhile, Chisame thought, 'Ugh, I can't believe I got roped into this. It's not as if I can gain anything from this stupid game…well, I could always try to get that Akari-sensei's lips and claim the fifty grand yen. I could use the money…wait, what am I thinking? If I kiss a girl I'll be labeled a freak like them!'

The two groups ran into each other around a corner, and both Makie and Ayaka saw each other first. They both swung their pillows at each other, fast as lightning, resulting in a double temporary knock out. Yuna went in for the next strike while whispering to Makie, "Good job Makie! You got Iincho down!"

Yuna aimed for Chisame, but she sidestepped out of the way and held her foot out, tripping Yuna while thinking, 'Ugh, this is starting to get too childish…'

That's when Ku Fei came flying from the stairs nearby and executed a triple pillow strike, hitting Ayaka, Yuna, and Chisame simultaneously. Ayaka was the first one to recover as she slowly got up while whispering, "Argh, you're going to get it Ku Fei-san!"

Yuna and Makie recovered also as they and Ayaka begun to triple attack Ku Fei simultaneously, with Kaede watching from the sidelines with interest. Kazumi reported, "Wow! It's already started, a three-way melee, though it looks more like three on one to me… Anyway, will Ku Fei of the martial arts club have the upper hand? It's against the rules not to use pillows after all!"

Back with the melee, Ayaka was struggling and she turned to her partner for help, "C-Chisame-san, give me some backu-!" That's when she saw that Chisame vanished on her and got whacked in the face by a pillow, "What the-? She's gone!"

Chisame was already walking down the hall as she thought, 'Forget it…even with that fifty grand as a prize, I'm not going along with this anymore. I'll leave this one up to Iincho. I've got to update my homepage and all…'

Unfortunately, luck wasn't with Chisame tonight as a door opened behind her, and out came Nitta, who caught Chisame by surprise. She oh-so-tried to get away, but Nitta caught her by the collar, "Hey Hasegawa, what are you up to?"

"Ooooh, that was fast! Hasegawa's been caught by Nitta already, this isn't good!" Kazumi reported, wincing at the sight.

Chisame made a strangled yelp when she was caught, which was heard by the other girls, who promptly stopped their melee as Makie looked down the hall, "What was that noise just now?"

"Crap, it's that Demon Nitta!" Yuna realized. Ayaka hastily whispered to the girls, "Everyone run now!"

Both Kaede and Ku Fei went first, promptly tripping Yuna and making her fall face first to the ground, though it more looked like she was trampled instead. Ayaka had already disappeared, and Makie had to run or risk getting caught by Nitta if she tried to help Yuna. She couldn't help but whisper as she ran away, "Sorry Yuna…"

Yuna was in a daze when Nitta came around, dragging Chisame by the collar as he heard the commotion, and when he saw Yuna on the ground moaning, he said, "Ah! You too Akashi?"

Nitta dragged both Chisame and Yuna to the lobby with him handing out punishment, "It's squatting in the lobby for both of you!"

Anime tears fell down their face as they cried out in pain, "Hieeen!"

Nearby, both Ayaka and Makie watched as their partners were in the squatting position with Nitta standing behind them. Makie cringed as she said again, "Sorry Yuna."

"Once you're dead, there'll be no one to collect your corpse…" Ayaka said ominously. The two left the lobby with Ayaka whispering to Makie, "Group two's athletic idiots are too strong! They're almost guaranteed to capture Negi-sensei's lips! Akari-sensei's too, but I don't think they would be aiming for her though…"

"Eeeeh? No way!" Makie nearly shouted, wondering what to do.

Ayaka then made a proposal, "Anyone but those two! I won't let them! How about we call it a truce for now?"

Makie bumped fists with Ayaka in agreement before saying, "Alright, it'll be an alliance! But the faster one of us will be the winner! No complaints!"

"The victims are already beginning to appear!" Kazumi reported, looking like she's having fun with the situation, "The director of activities, 'Nitta the Demon' has already caught Hasegawa and Akashi! Groups three and four have suffered a great lose, and now appear to be working together temporarily!"

Outside the hotel, Yue was busy leading Nodoka safely around and while the two talked, a part of Yue's mind was somewhere else as she thought, 'Hmm, Nodoka's going to have Negi-sensei's lips, maybe I should go after Akari-sensei's. The additional prize of fifty thousand yen seems really good, and Akari-sensei seems to be the reasonable type. If I explain everything to her, maybe it'll be just a light, friendly kiss just to win… I know I'm not into girls, and I'm positive that Akari-sensei thinks the same way too…'

They were in front of the fire escape door and they went through it, checking to see if any other the others arrived. When they saw it was all clear, Yue whispered, "No one's here yet…good, this is the chance…"

As they cautiously walked Yue said, "Negi-sensei and Akari-sensei's room is 304. Let's go Nodoka!"

"R-right!" Nodoka nervously replied as she timidly followed her friend. She thought, 'A…a kiss with Negi-sensei…wait, will I have to kiss him with Akari-sensei watching?'

Her thoughts didn't go any further as a wooden rope ladder fell from above, shocking Nodoka as she thought, 'Eh? What's this…?'

From above, the two girls heard a voice whisper, "No one's here yet…now's our chance!"

Another voice, which sounded really frightened, said, "Auuu…I'm scared!"

Looking up, the two saw that it was Fuuka and Fumika as Fumika whispered in shock, "Huh…? Group five?"

"Damn it, kill them Fumika!" Fuuka quickly whispered. Nodoka quietly said in shock, "Fuu-chan and Fumi-chan?"

Fuuka and Fumika tried to go on the offensive against Nodoka, but they were suddenly attacked by Yue from the side. She kept them at bay and somewhere along the line, Yue's pillows were replaced by books, making the twins block and dodge while arguing that it was against the rules to use books instead of pillows.

Nodoka was in a state of shock when Yue said, "I'll keep them back. Hurry and get through the door Nodoka!"

"Y-Yue…b-but…auuu…" Nodoka wasn't very inclined to leave her friend behind, when Ku Fei and Kaede came around, which caught the four of them by surprise. Ku Fei instantly went on the attack, making everyone brace themselves, which gave Yue the chance to push Nodoka through the door and close it before she could react.

Earlier, Akari heard the commotion outside, and she quickly acted by turning off the TV while saying to the four fakes, "You four hide now!"

They agreed without question and hid as Akari took her place at the futon. As she pretended to sleep, she thought, 'What the heck is going on out there?'

To the present time, Nodoka saw both Akari and the Negi clone sleeping in their futons. She carefully went around Akari's futon and went over to Negi's side, squatting down saying, "N-Negi-sensei…I'm sorry…it had to be like this…"

'That's…Nodoka Miyazaki…what is she doing?' Akari thought as she watched with one eye open.

"B-but…I'm glad…sensei…please…let me kiss you…" Nodoka finished.

As Nodoka leaned forward, Akari saw the other four Negi clones move and she got out of the futon. Nodoka was too busy in her thoughts to notice the shuffling, but she became shocked and frozen in place when Akari called out to the clones, "What are you four dolts think your doing?"

"It's a kiss!"

"Kiss~!"

"She's going for it!"

"Understood!"

Nodoka was shocked to see the four Negi clones surrounding her as the one in the futon's eyes shot open. She turned around to see a less than amused Akari, but was freaking out about the multiple Negis instead. She didn't even hear Akari say, "I told you four to hide, now look what's happened!"

Suddenly, Nodoka gave a freaked out scream, which made the fighters stop in an instant. Yue called out to Nodoka while Ku Fei asked, "Honya, what's wrong aru?"

When they entered the room, all they saw was Nodoka fainted on the ground, with no Negi clones in sight. Akari was there, but they didn't see her as she was somehow covered in the futon blankets, covering her from view, not to mention she was out of it too. Fuuka, Fumika, Ku Fei, and Kaede went outside and figured that Negi and Akari escaped to the outside, going after the clones in pursuit. Meanwhile Yue went over to Nodoka's side and said, "Nodoka, get a hold of yourself, Nodoka!"

"Uuuuun…five Negi-senseis…ugh…" Nodoka moaned.

"What are you talking about?" Yue asked, still trying to get Nodoka awake.

"I-it seems that group five's Nodoka Miyazaki managed to enter Negi-sensei and Akari-sensei's room, but failed to kiss Negi-sensei! Now Negi-sensei has escaped, and Akari-sensei somehow vanished, so the odds are still the same!" Kazumi said with excitement.

Chamo saw something weird on his screen and called out, "H-hey…Asakura-nee-san…"

"What?" Kazumi asked, going over to Chamo's side. The ermine rubbed his eyes as he wondered if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing, "I-I think I'm seeing things… It looks like there are five Negi-anikis…"

"Wha…?" Kazumi said, unable to believe what she was seeing on the screen in front of her.

* * *

_Arashi hotel – outer perimeter_

Negi and Akuro were busy walking back towards the hotel after finishing their patrol as Negi sighed, "Phew…nothing out of the ordinary…"

"No kidding Negi, all we achieved was a decent walk at night." Akuro said tiredly.

"But at least we can feel a bit calmer now, I do at least," Negi had a look of confidence on his face, "But we should get back and get some rest, you look worse for wear Akuro."

"I haven't collapsed yet, so I'm still good to go." Akuro assured him. Negi didn't like the sound of that, but he let it go and instead turned to another issue, "Uuun, but still…Miyazaki-san…just what should I do about her?"

"Do what you feel is best for now Negi. That's all I can say about this whole confession business." Akuro would've said more, but tiredness can really cut the brain's activity to a crawl. Negi gave a nod, thinking that Akuro's answer was a good one, "Yes, I know I can't just leave things hanging like this. Akuro, here's what I'm going to say, and I want to know what you think."

"Huh?" Akuro said, catching Negi's attention. He raised an eyebrow to what Negi was saying to him, but didn't refute it, since it sounded like a good response, and he couldn't muster the energy to say anything anyway.

* * *

_Arashi hotel_

Back inside the hotel, Ayaka was in the dining area by herself searching for one of the Negi clones. She quietly called out, "N-Negi-sensei, are you in here?"

When there was no response, Ayaka thought, 'Hmmm, I heard that Negi-sensei escaped from his room, not to mention that Akari-sensei somehow just vanished too. Just where are they?'

"Iincho-san…"

With Makie, she was trying to lure Negi out with candy, but she wasn't having much success with that. She started eating the candy herself saying, "Hmm, maybe Negi-kun likes chocolates more than candy. Maybe Akari-sensei likes candy instead, ah, this is good!"

"…Makie-san."

Ku Fei and Kaede were having no luck finding any of the Negi clones. Kaede pointed out that Akari was still in the room with Nodoka and Yue, but Ku Fei argued that it was better to find Negi first, since they could always go back to Akari, and that both Nodoka and Yue were most likely not to kiss Akari anyway. Little did they know someone was coming up from behind them.

"…Ku Fei-san…"

Fuuka and Fumika were also looking hard for the Negi clones, not really interested in kissing Akari. However, they agreed that if one manages to kiss Negi, then the other can kiss Akari. They were talking to themselves so much that they didn't realize that they weren't by themselves anymore.

"…Fumika-san."

Back in Negi and Akuro's room, Yue had put Nodoka into Negi's futon, and managed to drag Akari back to hers, though both of them were still out of it. Yue resolved to get Negi back and try to get Akari awake so she can ask her a few questions, when the proper Negi clone showed up at the door just as Yue was about to leave. She was shocked to see Negi at the door, "N-Negi sensei?"

"Ah, hello Yue-san…" The Negi clone acted rather normally, and if Akari was awake, she would've thought that it was suspicious. Yue didn't find anything odd about the Negi in front of her, "Perfect timing Negi-sensei, I need you to-."

"Nodoka-san is sleeping, isn't she?" The Negi clone cut Yue off all of a sudden, "This is perfect timing after all…"

Akari was starting to stir as the Negi clone started to fidget, "Actually…I have something to speak with you about Yue-san."

Yue was slightly confused as she asked, "Huh…w-what is it?" She mentally thought, 'What does Negi-sensei want to talk about…?'

For some reason, the Negi clone got all flustered as it went on, "Um…it's difficult for me to talk about this, but…I've thought over it and I…the truth is…I…"

Suddenly, Yue started blushing as she realized what was happening as the clone acted like Nodoka trying to confess to Negi, "Yue-san, I…"

Like some kind of weird, simultaneous trigger that clicked in each of the clones, all of them requested a kiss from the girls that they spoke to. They all blushed upon hearing that, but Yue was the most shocked as she couldn't help but say, "Eh…w-wha…Negi-sensei…?"

Akari was starting to come back to life and she managed to hear most of it, and she thought, 'Oh no, it's gotten weird…need to do something now…' She hoped that Negi and Akuro would quickly come back before things sprung out of control…


	18. Pactio Panic Part 3

Chapter 18 – Pactio Panic Part 3

_Arashi hotel_

The rest of 3-A was watching the bizarre scene of the five Negi clones asking for kisses all at the same time. Most of them were confused at what was going on, and even the announcer, Kazumi was confused as she said, "Woooaaah! What the-? What the hell's going on here? Five Negi-senseis? And they're confessing to everyone simultaneously?"

All the students watching went from confused to impressed as the excitement grew. However with Kazumi and Chamo, both were in a panic as Chamo looked like he was about to be dumped into hot water, "Awawawa! This is bad, Aniki split into five people!"

"The hell are those things Chamo? You're a spirit right? Do something about it!" Kazumi looked to the ermine for help, as she had no idea what to do.

Back in Negi and Akuro's room, Yue was stepping back, mixed with both shock and embarrassment as her face was totally red. The Negi clone kept on advancing onto Yue, and she walked back so much that she tripped on Akari's futon, sending her flying backwards. The Negi clone kept on advancing, and Yue tried to stop him with words, "Ah…j-just a min-!"

That's when Yue looked at Nodoka and she remembered the confession. It brought her senses back, though she was still a bit red as she said, "I-I've misjudged you Negi-sensei! Nodoka confessed to you, and yet you go after me right afterwards? Tell me it isn't true!"

Akari tried to get up, but with both Yue and the Negi clone nearby, she couldn't without flinging both of them, who were on the futon. That's when she heard the Negi clone say in a trance-like state, "I'm sorry…but it's all because…I wanted to kiss you, Yue-san."

Yue's face got red again as Akari quietly wiggled out of the futon without them noticing. Meanwhile, Kazumi and Chamo had calmed down, but were still freaking out a bit as Kazumi tried to get a better picture of Yue's situation, "Damn it, I can't see anything from this camera angle! What's happening? Did group five's Yue Ayase get a kiss? This is an unbelievable ambush! I don't really know what's going on right now, but it seems the odds are now with group five, thanks to both Negi and Akari-sensei being in the room!"

Everywhere else, things were going crazy, with Ayaka prepping herself to kiss her clone, Makie playing with hers childishly, Ku Fei had her clone pinned to the wall with her foot by embarrassment, and both Fuuka and Fumika fighting each other because the Negi clone picked Fumika instead of Fuuka. Things were getting weirder by the second as Kazumi pointed out, "Look at that, is Iincho from group three going to go for it? No, groups four and two as well! Ku Fei and Makie are also getting ready to kiss! The Narutaki sisters are currently in a fight and are unable to kiss at the time. It looks like it's time for the finale! It's the showdown of the century, though it looks like Akari-sensei's still out of commission somewhat."

The Negi clone went in closer, and Yue was so red, that one would think she was glowing in embarrassment. Her thoughts were going wild with how on earth something like her situation could happen. The embarrassment of her first kiss was getting to her as she thought, 'We…we can't…! Nodoka…'

That's when Yue saw Akari get up from behind the Negi clone and Yue's eyes widened as she thought in a panic, 'Akari-sensei! Help me please!'

As if Akari heard her thoughts, she gave the clone a roundhouse kick in the gut, making the clone fly off into the wall with Akari saying, "The heck do you think you're doing you dumb dolt?"

Yue was breathing heavily as Akari went over and asked gently, "Are you alright Ayase-san?"

A nod came from Yue as Akari said, "Sorry I couldn't help earlier. Being trampled on didn't help, so I had a hard time getting up."

A sigh of relief came over Yue as she looked very grateful, "*sniff* Thank you for helping me Akari-sensei, but wasn't that a little harsh? Not to mention, what is going on with Negi-sensei? He's been acting weird!"

"That's…going to be hard to explain…" Akari became uncomfortable, wondering how to explain the situation.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed Yue, and both her and Akari turned to see the Negi clone's arms stretched out as it said in an oddly ominous tone, "Hello, my name is Negi."

Akari slapped the arms away from Yue saying, "Hey, get a hold of yourself you substitution reject!"

Yue clung to Akari in shock as she eyed the clone, "W-what's happening?"

Nodoka woke up to the noise as she moaned, "Umph…what's going on?"

Getting up, Nodoka was shocked to see the long armed Negi clone, and as Akari moved to protect both her and Yue, the clone started to speak nonsense, "I've got your back!"

All of a sudden, it jumped and flew towards Nodoka shouting with glee, "Kiss~!"

Nodoka freaked out, but before the clone can reach her, Akari moved and gave it a punch to the face saying, "Stop screwing around you defect substitution!"

"A-ah? A-A-Akari-sensei, you k-ki-killed Negi-sensei!" Nodoka shouted in shock, seeing what Akari just did to the clone. Yue however managed to piece together something and she said, "Calm down Nodoka, this Negi-sensei is an imposter. Isn't that right Akari-sensei?"

"Pretty much…" Akari replied, not really intent on hiding anything anymore. That's when they heard the clone give a thumbs up, "My name was Negi!"

Akari felt the clone start to become unstable and she grabbed both Nodoka and Yue shouting, "Get down girls!"

The clone exploded as Akari had shielded both girls with her own body, though the explosion wasn't that bad. As the dust cleared, Nodoka coughed and when she and Yue saw the substitution stencil she grew confused, "Ah! What is this?"

Yue rounded on Akari and asked, "Akari-sensei, what's going on here? What was that thing?"

Akari was about to reply, when she felt herself becoming unstable as well. She quickly realized what was happening, "Oh no, I'm running out of time already…"

"Huh? What are you saying Sensei?" Nodoka asked in confusion. Akari quickly said, "Look, there are four other of those fakes out in the hotel, Master and Negi-sama aren't even here right now, they're outside, but they're coming back soon!"

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Yue said, taking in what Akari was saying, "Are you telling me you're a fake too?"

"Yes," Akari quickly replied, "If you want answers, ask the real me for them, s-she'll answer your questions!"

Wincing, Akari finished, "At the very least, round up the other four before-!" That's when Akari suddenly fell forwards, and Yue managed to catch her, though her lips connected with Akari's cheek. Akari suddenly gave a light poof, and in her place was her substitution stencil, which floated down and Yue caught it. She examined it with interest, "…A paper shape? I remember seeing something like this in a book on the occult…I'll ask Akari-sensei about it later."

Pocketing Akari's stencil, Yue turned to Nodoka saying, "C'mon Nodoka, we need to tell everyone that all the Negi's are fakes. The real one and Akari-sensei are outside the hotel, so we'll hang around the entrance and wait for them to get back."

"A-aah, hold on Yue!" Nodoka said as she ran after Yue, who ran out the door, heading to the lobby.

Meanwhile, the other four clones sensed both the Negi clone and Akari dissipate and like a second simultaneous trigger, the four started running towards the lobby. They met up with each other, and the girls that were chasing them were shocked to see the four together, since they thought that the Negi they were with was the real deal. Nodoka and Yue showed up a moment later and stumbled onto the scene. The expressions on the girls varied from each girl, for example shock, like with the Narutakis, with Fumika whispering, "Eeeh? It's full of Negi-senseis!"

"It's a body splitting technique!" Fuuka whispered in shock.

Happiness, like with Ayaka who just seemed to be smitten seeing all the Negi clones in one spot. Apparently seeing this scene threw her reason out the window like yesterday's trash, something that would make Yue's words a lot hard to get through. Meanwhile Yue warned in a loud whisper, "Be on your guard everyone! All of the Negi-senseis here are fakes! The real one isn't even here right now!"

Back with Kazumi and Chamo, they watched the situation escalate as Kazumi said, "T-this is a total mess! All the Negi-senseis have gathered in one place! What will all the groups do now?"

"This is turning into utter chaos…" Chamo commented.

In the lobby, Yuna informed Makie, "Nitta's gone to patrol the third floor. He seems to have heard the ruckus earlier!"

"Ah, thanks Yuna!" Makie said. Everyone else heard Yuna's news too and both Ku Fei and Kaede acted first with Ku Fei saying, "Alright, it not like it matters which one real! Let's just kiss one aru!"

"All right!" Kaede said. Yue tried to stop them by calling out to them, but Kaede already caught one and Ku Fei kissed it on the cheek. The Negi clone just stood there as it said, "Eh… My duties have been fulfilled. Sorry for disobeying your orders Akari-sama, and by the way, my name was Migi!"

Suddenly, it exploded, making the girls scream as Kazumi was shocked at what just happened. She commented, "Woah! It exploded? Was that sensei a fake?"

Both Kaede and Ku Fei were knocked out by the explosion, while Yue thought, 'Do the other fakes explode like that? The other fake Negi-sensei did, but the fake Akari-sensei just poofed out of existence… Maybe it has to do with what the fake Akari-sensei said, something about defects…'

The explosion happened to catch Nitta's attention as he shouted, "Ah, hey! What's all this smoke?"

"Ah, this is bad everyone! Nitta's here!" Yuna warned.

For some odd reason, the remaining three Negi clones jumped Nitta while shouting happily, "Kiss!" Although they didn't actually kiss Nitta, they did managed to shock him into submission as they jumped off of him and ran away. The other girls except Yue and Nodoka ran after them, with the assumption that one of them must be real. Nodoka and Yue went over to Nitta's side with Nodoka saying, "Awawawa! Nitta-sensei is…"

Yue tried shaking him, but he was unresponsive, making her say, "I don't think he'll be rejoining us anytime soon…"

The rest of the 3-A girls watched the whole thing, but they were now cheering for the girls to catch the Negi's and kiss them. Meanwhile, Makie managed to catch one with her ribbon and kiss it on the cheek, though it exploded a second later, making her scream out.

Fumika saw the explosion, while Fuuka called out to the Negi clone, "Wait up sensei!"

The clone stopped for some reason and both Fuuka and Fumika latched onto it with them saying, "We've got you, Negi-sensei!"

When the twins kissed Negi on the cheeks at the same time, they too exploded, sending the twins flying. Misa, Sakurako, and Madoka, who were watching, couldn't help but sweat drop at that as they were disappointed that the Negi they kissed was a fake.

With Ayaka, she saw that the others were fakes and was certain that the one that she was chasing was the real one. Nodoka, who was watching on a nearby screen, panicked and said, "Aaah…Iincho is going to get the last Negi-sensei…"

"Don't worry about it Nodoka," Yue assured her, "Remember, the last one is also…"

When Ayaka caught the last Negi clone, she was so certain that the one she had was the real one, and she went in for the kiss on the lips. After she kissed the clone, it exploded with it saying, "My name was Hogi!"

Ayaka fell to the ground in shock as she muttered, "Wha-? It can't be…"

With all of the clones gone, Kazumi said, "W-what the heck is going on here?"

That's when Kazumi shuffled though all the meal tickets that were the betting pool as she said, "It seems all the Negi-senseis, and even the Akari-sensei were all fakes! Does that mean the proceeds of the betting pools go to me?"

There was uproar at that from the other 3-A girls as they shouted, "Hey! No way Asakura! Give us back our meal tickets!"

Meanwhile, Yue was dragging Nodoka towards the entrance while saying, "Figured neither Negi-sensei nor Akari-sensei agreed to participate in something as stupid as this! Both of them aren't even here right now, so we'll wait for them by the entrance!"

"Uh…um…" Nodoka couldn't say anything, but Yue wasn't listening anyway as her thoughts fumed with both anger and embarrassment at the Negi clone pushing her down forcefully and trying to kiss her. That's when they spotted both Negi and Akuro approaching and they waited for them to enter.

* * *

_Arashi hotel – lobby_

As the two mages entered the hotel, Negi was leading a half-asleep Akuro by the hand, since the Shinmei-ryu user was practically running on fumes. Negi gave the usual greeting, "We're back! Hmm? It seems like there's something going on here…"

"Eh…?" Akuro mused, looking around with a sleepy eye. That's when Nodoka was pushed forward by Yue as she said, "Go on Nodoka!"

Eying Akuro, Yue thought, 'Woah, Akari-sensei sure looks tired. She's practically sleeping standing up!'

Despite being half asleep, Akuro watched as Negi blushed and said, "Ah, Miyazaki-san…"

"N-Negi-sensei…" Nodoka replied, a light blush also appearing on her cheeks.

Back with the masterminds, Chamo saw what was happening and called out to Kazumi, "Nee-san, it's the real Aniki and Akari-nee! Aniki has the staff!"

"W-what did you say?" Kazumi asked, whipping around.

The audience saw what was happening and watched anxiously as Negi said, "Um…about what happened this afternoon…"

"Eh…?" Nodoka realized that Negi was bringing up the confession subject and said, "N-no, we don't have to talk about that…as long as you heard what I said, that's…!"

Asuna and Setsuna rounded the corner and wondered what was going on. Negi looked towards Akuro, and he gave a slight nudge saying, "Go on Negi…"

Negi looked down a bit as he tried his best to speak out what he was thinking, "I'm sorry Miyazaki-san…I…to like someone…I still don't really understand…"

"And I'm not in a hurry to teach him that stuff…" Akuro muttered. Yue raised an eyebrow at that as Negi went on, "Ah, of course I like Miyazaki-san, b-but, I like everyone in my class. I like Asuna-san and Konoka-san, Iincho and everyone in the Baka Rangers… I mean 'like', as in a teacher and student relationship…"

Akuro shook his head as Yue kept silent, while Nodoka tried to correct him, "N-no, um…Sensei, that…"

"I can't give you a proper answer Miyazaki-san, but," Negi suddenly said, "H-how about…we start off as friends?"

Nodoka thought about before she smiled and said happily, "Okay!"

After hearing that, Yue couldn't help but think, 'That's right…this is the real person after all…not to mention that he's just a ten year old.'

Yuna and Chisame couldn't hear what they were saying, while Asuna and Setsuna hid behind a pillar, watching the whole thing. That's when Akuro lightly clapped and said, "Figures you would say that Negi. Now, can we please get some sleep before your little friendship decides to level up as we stand here?"

Nodoka blushed while Yue looked at Akuro oddly. Negi assured them, "Don't worry, Akari's just like this when she's really sleepy. I still remember her sleeping while standing one time…"

"Hey…that was only one time…" Akuro argued sleepily. Both girls smiled at that, when Yue suddenly pushed Nodoka into Negi, initiating a kiss. At the same time, Yuna suddenly sprang up with Chisame saying, "Hey Akashi, what are you doing?"

"I'm not going to lose this one!" Yuna said with pride. Despite her legs being sore, Yuna quickly made her way to Akuro, and when she stopped in front of him, she grabbed his head saying, "Sorry about this Akari-sensei!"

Before either Akuro or Yue could say anything, Yuna kissed Akuro full on the lips. Being still half asleep, Akuro didn't really realize what was happening, though somehow he started kissing back. Yuna was surprised when she found Akuro's tongue mixing with hers as she thought, 'Eeeemmm, it tastes like strawberries…'

Earlier, Akuro had a box of strawberry Pocky with him and he ate it as a way to stay awake, but that's not the point. Negi and Nodoka had already separated and after they apologized, they saw that Akuro and Yuna were clearly in a French kiss, and Nodoka made a motion to quickly cover the boy mage's eyes. Everyone that was watching looked on in shock as the look on Yuna's face turned from shocked to dreamy.

About fifteen seconds later, Akuro snapped awake when he realized he was kissing Yuna. He broke apart from her and his eyes widened in surprise, while Yuna looked at Akari and said dreamily, "T-that was…amazing Akari-sensei…"

Everyone was speechless at that as Akuro's brain seemed to freeze, unable to figure out what the heck just happened. He thought, 'W-was…I kissing Akashi-san?'

With Kazumi and Chamo, the ermine held up the pactio cards of both Nodoka and Yuna in his paw as he said, "All right! We got the Nodoka Miyazaki and Yuna Akashi contract cards!"

"Yeah, and we've got six cards from the fake senseis too. One from the fake Akari-sensei too, but who would've guessed…" Kazumi said, looking at the cards with interest.

Hauling the bag of goods over her shoulder, Kazumi grinned like someone on a getaway, "The results that came in were really unexpected, but that's how life works!"

Chamo gave a nod saying, "Well, at least we caught a good haul, and even Akari-nee surprised me with more than one card too!"

"Alright, let's split Chamo-chi!" Kazumi said, gripping the bag on her back. She was about to leave when she bumped into someone that was right at entrance.

It was Nitta, and he looked livid with rage as he said in a calm, but dangerous voice, "…I see…Asakura, so you were the ringleader…"

Kazumi made a strangled yell as Nitta dragged everyone involved to the lobby and told everyone to squat in the lobby. Akuro somehow managed to get over the shock, while Yuna was in a bit of a daze, part of her happy for winning, and the other part thinking of the first kiss she had. Somehow, Akuro was sleeping while standing again and Nitta tried to get him to squat too, but when he saw that Akuro was sleeping he approached him with the intent to wake the sleeper up, but Negi said, "Ah, wait Nitta-sensei, don't-!"

Nitta was about to shake Akuro awake when in a flash, he rammed the butt of Yatsusuna into Nitta's gut, knocking the wind out of him. The Demon teacher slumped over and fell unconscious again as Akuro slept on. Everyone watching was shocked, except for Setsuna, who figured it was part of the Shinmei-ryu training to be on guard at all times, even in one's sleep. Negi smacked his head, "I tried to warn him…"

"What was that Negi-sensei?" Makie asked. Ku Fei said, "Wow, Akari-sensei is strong aru!"

With Nitta out of commission this time, Negi got up and said, "Sorry, I'll be back everyone."

A few minutes passed and Negi came back with a box of Pocky, much to everyone's surprise. He shocked them even further when Negi said, "Akari, here's some Pocky!"

Akuro reacted to this, and he slowly sleepwalked towards Negi, who was holding the box of chocolate Pocky out. Leading him around, Negi explained, "Both Akuro and Akari love Pocky. I don't know why, but from what they said, ever since they were young, it's been their favorite snack. I even saw them fight over a box once…"

Everyone found that tidbit a bit amusing and Setsuna remembered, 'That's right, I remember that Kuro-chan always fought with Kono-chan over the Pocky half the time. It was amusing I must admit.'

Negi led Akuro over to the couch, where Akuro somehow managed to lie down on it after Negi gave him the Pocky. As the students watched him sleep soundly, Nitta somehow managed to regain consciousness and Negi said, "Nitta-sensei, Akari didn't have a clue what was going on. I'll take all responsibility for now."

Nitta seemed to accept that and as the group squatted there, Yue took out Akari's stencil and thought, 'I guess I'll ask Akari-sensei about this tomorrow.' Pocketing the stencil, Yue blushed as the thoughts of what the fake did came back to her, and she tried shaking them off as they sat there in the harsh squatting position for another hour before they were sent to bed.

* * *

Note: Pactio data will be in the next chapter, as well as something additional.


	19. Third Day Troubles

Chapter 19 – Third Day Troubles

_Arashi hotel – lobby_

Nodoka and Yuna were being crowded by most of the 3-A girls, with the two holding their 'wonderful prizes', their pactio cards. Nodoka's was of her wearing a coat and being surrounded by books, with Diarium Ejus open in front of her. Yuna's was with her wearing what looked like a black vest that had white fur around it's collar, which was over her Mahora uniform. She was in a battle pose smiling with confidence, holding what looked like the Revolver Gunblade from Final Fantasy VIII in her right hand, and a black revolver in her left, connected by a black chain to the butts of both weapons.

The girls called Nodoka's card cute, while calling Yuna's card cool as they congratulated the two for winning, with the sports girls clamoring all over Yuna for also winning the fifty thousand yen in addition to the pactio prize. They were also teasing her for the French kiss that she shared with 'Akari' as Ako was the first, "It's great you won Yuna, but wasn't that kiss a little too much?"

"It's not my fault!" Yuna argued, turning beet red at the memory, "Akari-sensei was the one who p-pushed her t-t-tongue in…"

"Still, what are you going to do with the money, huh Yuna?" Akira looked at her friend with a smile, "You did win it for the group, yes?"

"Uh…" Yuna found herself in a pickle when Konoka came over after she took a good look at Nodoka's card. Yuna quickly turned to Konoka, "Oh, Konoe-san, what brings you around?"

"Ah, Akashi-san, may I see that card please?" Konoka asked, looking at Yuna with sparkly eyes. Yuna, wanting to avoid Akira's question, quickly replied, "Here, take a look."

Looking at Yuna's card, Konoka admired it, "So you get a card when you kiss Akari-sensei too? How come I didn't know?"

Yuna raised an eyebrow at that as Konoka gave back the card. She mused, "Maybe I can ask Akari-sensei for one, I'm sure she won't mind…though it's kinda hard to choose between her and Negi-kun…"

As Konoka walked away, Yuna took another look at her card and thought, 'This is proof of my victory, and I must admit, the picture's pretty cool. I look so badass with those weapons!'

"I bet she's thinking just how badass her picture is…" Sakurako commented with a smile, as she, Misa and Madoka walked past her, taking a quick look at her card in the process. Yuna blushed, but a part of her was jumping with joy at winning as she thought, 'Maybe I should apologize to Akari-sensei…from what I've heard, she and Negi-sensei were roped into Asakura's game without their consent…'

In another part of the lobby, Negi, Akuro, Asuna, Setsuna, and Kazumi were together, with Asuna telling off Negi for some reason. Akuro was standing there with a stoic look on his face, but everyone could feel how pissed he was at what was going on, despite standing on his feet silently. Kazumi was a bit nervous, but Chamo was downright terrified, and swore he saw Akuro finger his knives that were hidden in his sleeves. The group didn't realize that Nodoka was watching from around the corner as Asuna held out Negi's five dud cards and the one proper card to him, "What are we going to do about these Negi? How do you intend to take responsibility for making all these cards?"

Negi's eyes went bug-eyed as he shouted, "Euu? Me?"

Chamo tried to defend him, "Aw, c'mon Ane-san!" Kazumi pitched in her two cents, "Yeah, c'mon Kagurazaka-san! What's wrong with making a little profit on the side?"

"Asakura, you and that pervert Chamo stay out of this!" Asuna snapped, telling the two of them off. She sighed and went on, "Look, both Honya-chan and Akashi-san are just normal girls! We can't get either of them involved in something as complicated as this! We can't do anything about those copy cards that were handed out, but you Negi, mustn't use the master cards at the very least."

"Not to mention it would help conceal your identity as a mage Negi-sensei…you too Sa-, Akari-sensei." Setsuna added.

Negi couldn't help but say, "Why just me? Akari has some too, right?"

"Akari-sensei's smart enough to hide her secret," Asuna told him, "You of all people know that Negi."

Thinking about it, Negi realized that if Akuro was ever exposed as a mage while in disguise, all he had to do was ditch the current disguise and don a new one, while waiting for the situation to cool. He bowed his head sadly, "I guess you're right…"

Akuro stepped forward, and Asuna pulled out the two cards that related to Akuro. Yuna's pactio card, and Yue's dud card, which consisted of a pretty bad picture of Yue in a sorceress garb, holding a long, jeweled wand staff like it was a mace, having an evil grin on her face. She handed them to Akuro with an odd look towards Yue's, "Here Akari-sensei. You better hold onto these for now, though I wonder what's with Yue-kichi's."

"That's what I like to know…" Akuro said quietly as he looked at the cards. He walked up to Kazumi and Chamo and said, "You know, I should skin you slowly, you little white rat!"

Pulling out one of the knives that were hidden in one of his sleeves, Akuro scared everyone, with Kazumi grabbing the ermine and holding him out to Akuro as a sacrificial offering, "Please don't hurt me Akari-sensei, take him, it was all his idea!"

"What, you can't be serious Ane-san?" Chamo shouted as he started to sweat heavily. Everyone tensed up until Akuro put away the knife and gave a look of disbelief, "But that wouldn't change a thing, so I won't do anything to either you or Kazumi this time…"

Both Kazumi and Chamo sighed a breath of relief, while Akuro pocketed the two pactio cards. Negi cleared his throat and said, "Anyway, we should keep all of this a secret from both Nodoka-san and Akashi-san."

Everyone nodded as Chamo mused, "What a waste…those cards sure looked pretty strong too." That's when he conjured another copy card, this one Asuna's and handed it to her, "Well, never mind. I'll give you a copy card too Ane-san."

As Chamo explained to Asuna about the card's function to be able to summon her artifact, Kazumi went up to Akuro, "Akari-sensei?"

"Yes, what is it Kazumi?" Akuro wondered what she wanted, though he could tell she had that reporter's look in her eyes. She looked him in the eye, "Could we talk somewhere private?"

Everyone looked at them as Akuro's confusion grew bigger, "Does it really have to be private?"

"Yes, because," Kazumi leaned forward to Akuro's ear and whispered, "It's about your disguise and true identity."

Akuro's eyes widened at that as he realized what Kazumi was talking about, "Alright, let's head to another room." He then quickly added to the others, "Kazumi and I are going to talk about something for a little bit okay? Negi, I'll meet you back in the lobby soon alright?"

"Okay Akari." Negi replied, as the others wondered what got him so shocked. Both Kazumi and Akuro walked off with him thinking, 'How the heck did she find out…?' That's when he took a quick look at the ermine and somehow managed to piece together everything. He grabbed Chamo saying, "I'll be borrowing the rat too."

"I'm an erm-!" Chamo started, but when Akuro gave him the evil eye, he fell silent as Kazumi led them to one of the empty rooms.

In another part of the hotel, Nodoka was figuring out how her artifact works when Yue came by. After reading her thoughts, Nodoka snapped the book shut as Yue looked at her, "What's that book about Nodoka?"

Nodoka tried hiding it and Yue wondered why she was hiding the book so intently. She eventually gave up and instead asked, "Um, by the way, did you happen to see Akari-sensei anywhere?"

"A-Akari-sensei? Oh! She's with Negi-sensei in the lobby, along with Asuna-san, Sakurazaki-san, and Asakura-san, last I saw her." Nodoka replied.

"I see…" Yue said. She thought, 'I need to ask her about last night, and to give this paper thingy back to her too…' Touching the Akari stencil that she kept in her pocket, she was about to walk off when Haruna ran into them shouting for them to get changed into their regular clothes.

* * *

_Arashi hotel – private room_

When Akuro, Kazumi, and Chamo were alone, Akuro made sure there were no eavesdroppers around. Seeing that they were totally alone, Akuro went straight to the point, "I'll take a wild guess and say that the ermine told you, didn't he?"

"Sorry Akari-nee, it sort of slipped out when I showed her your other pactio cards." Chamo looked ashamed at his mistake as he looked away in embarrassment.

"For the love of-!" Akuro stopped when he noticed something, "Wait, how do you know about my other pactio card? The only one you should've known about was the one I had with Nekane!"

Chamo gulped when Akuro narrowed his eyes, his look piercing the ermine, "You went through my things, didn't you…?"

There was a moment of silence before Akuro hissed, "You really want to get skinned, don't you Chamo? I'm thinking of sending Nekane some ermine gloves…"

Before anything happened to the now frightened ermine, Kazumi cut into the conversation saying, "Never mind Chamo. All I know is that you're actually a guy, Akari-sensei. He didn't mention your name or anything else after he showed me your other pactio cards. All I want to know is your real identity."

Taking a deep breath, Akuro turned to Kazumi, "You already heard of me. I did mention myself before."

Closing his eyes, Akuro muttered a spell and that's when his glamour faded, showing his true face. It was his real one since the sex-change pill wore off during the night, so he was back to being a guy under glamour again. Kazumi's eyes widened as she managed to spit out, "Y-you're Akuro Sakuragi?"

Raising an eyebrow, Akuro looked at the paparazzi girl, "Now how do you know that? I never showed a picture of myself to anyone in the class."

"Uh, well we saw a picture of you and Negi on your laptop during that one time…" Kazumi looked away sheepishly.

Shaking his head, Akuro looked away as he moaned, "And the surprises just keep on coming…" Pinching the bridge of his nose, he turned back to Kazumi, "I know that being the reporter that you are, you must have a bunch of questions for me. All I can ask you is to please keep my identity a secret, only Negi and Asuna-san know about it, as well as Evangeline, but that's another story. All I can say is that my life would be at risk if my identity were to be leaked out, not to mention a few other problems, so please, please don't say anything, even to Setsuna."

Kazumi was genuinely surprised at how serious Akuro looked, since there was a hint of pleading in his voice. She lightly blushed at the stare Akuro was giving her as she smiled, "Okay, I know how to keep a secret too, since it sounds quite sensitive from the way you were saying it."

Akuro reapplied the glamour, "Thank you very much Kazumi. Also, even though you know my identity now, just call me Akari when in public."

"I understand Akari-sensei," Kazumi said with a nod. The two of them walked out of the room with Chamo and Kazumi's shoulder as she went on, "Well, if your identity does get out, how about an interview with yours truly?"

Cracking a smile, Akuro had an amused look on his face, "Maybe…we'll see if I'm still around when that happens."

Kazumi raised an eyebrow in amusement as they kept on walking. That's when Konoka spotted them and rushed towards them, "Ah, Akari-sensei, there you are! I want a teeny-tiny favor!"

"What is it Konoka-san?" Akuro asked, as he, Kazumi, and Chamo wondered what she wanted. She leaned in close to them, and in a quiet voice she whispered, "Is it possible for you to give me a card too?"

There was a moment of silence before both Akuro and Kazumi let out a surprised, "Eh?"

Konoka blushed a bit at their looks of surprise, "I really want one Akari-sensei. I would ask Negi-kun, but he has enough on his plate without me complicating things."

Chamo was looking forward to the opportunity for another pactio, while Akuro looked like he had mixed feelings, "Well, I don't know Konoka-san…"

"Please Akari-sensei?" Konoka decided to go with puppy dog eyes this time, "I can even give you Pocky if you do! I know that you and Kuro-chan love the stuff, so please~?"

The combined attack of the puppy dog eyes and the offer for Pocky was racking Akuro pretty bad. In his mind, there were two sides fighting for dominance; one where he would refuse and keep magic secret from Konoka like he was supposed to, and the other side, where he would gladly give Konoka what she wanted and get some Pocky as a bonus. Apparently, one side was losing badly the more Akuro looked at Konoka's cute expression. His resolve to say no melted away like butter in a microwave soon enough, as he bowed his head and quietly whispered, "Ugh…alright Konoka-san…I'll give you a card…"

Kazumi looked at Akuro with surprise, Chamo cracked a grin, and Konoka squealed, "Oh, thank you Akari-sensei!" She jumped, giving Akuro a big hug, which caused a mix of feelings to well up in Akuro's chest.

The three went back into the room, and Chamo activated the pactio circle, encircling Konoka and Akuro. Akuro gulped as Konoka gave a light blush, "I…have to kiss you…right? On the lips?"

"Y-yeah, that's how it works…" Akuro told her, more anxious than nervous. Though he was getting nervous as Konoka closed in for the kiss. A part of Akuro wanted to cancel it and just run the heck out of the hotel and somewhere far away, but his body was absolutely frozen. He quickly eyed Kazumi and Chamo, and to his horror, he saw that Kazumi was recording it on a camera that had a video recording function. His thoughts were starting to run wild, 'No, I should cancel it, but I don't want to make Kono-chan cry…!'

There was no more room for thoughts as Konoka's lips pressed against Akuro's, making Chamo say, "Pactio!"

A flash of light later, a card formed between them and it fell into Akuro's hands. Looking at it, the card had the picture of Konoka on it, dressed in a miko uniform that was deep red and white, and looked a bit like Himeko Kurusugawa's solar miko uniform from Kannazuki no Miko, but with detached sleeves. She was holding an elegant katana by the sheath in her right hand, and what looked like a wand staff that had a rainbow jewel on top in her left hand. She was in an elegant pose and had a serene smile on her face, and Akuro couldn't help but crack a small smile at it as he and Konoka parted.

Konoka opened her eyes, since she closed them before kissing, and she saw the card in Akuro's hand. She squealed and when she took a look at it, her excitement grew, "Oh wow, I look so cute and cool at the same time! Oh now I finally have my own card too! Thank you Akari-sensei!"

Giving Akuro another hug, Akuro threw the card towards Chamo, who quickly made a copy card and threw it over to Akuro. When he caught it the two parted and Akuro presented it to her saying, "H-here you go Konoka-san. Just don't tell anyone else about this alright? If everyone knew, I don't think I'll be able to hear the end of it…"

"Okay Akari-sensei, and thank you so much! Don't worry, I won't forget about the Pocky!" Konoka told him, still smiling. As she practically skipped out of the room, Chamo and Kazumi went up to Akuro with Chamo asking, "Hey Akuro-nii, you sure that was the right move? Not that I'm complaining, but…"

As Akuro took back the master card from Chamo, he couldn't help but come to a realization, "Oh no, what have I done…"

Kazumi smirked as she showed Akuro the kiss between Konoka and 'Akari' saying, "Well, as juicy as this is, it'll be better to keep it to myself. As Akuro-kun here said, we won't be able to hear the end of it, especially from Kagurazaka-san…"

"I hear that one Asakura-nee-san." Chamo didn't want to think what will happen to them if this were to leak out to Negi and the others. That's when he saw the clock in the room and looked at the time, "Hey, we need to go now Akuro-nii! Aniki's waiting!"

That snapped Akuro out of it as he pocketed Konoka's card, "Oh right, I still need to get changed. I'll see you later Kazumi!"

As Akuro left the room, Kazumi smiled and thought, 'Yup, things sure are interesting when hanging around mages…'

* * *

_Arashi hotel – vicinity_

Akuro, in dark blue jeans, a loose, unbuttoned black dress shirt with a brown t-shirt underneath, walked up to Negi, who was in his regular clothes too. Both Yatsusuna and Ryuhana were slung over his back in the black cloth he kept them in, and he said quietly, "I'm here Negi."

Negi turned to Akuro and went straight to business, "Alright, everyone has free time today. Now's a good chance to hand over the letter… You know where the HQ is, right Akuro?"

"Yeah, grab a map and I'll point it out to you." Akuro replied, "Also, I can follow you, but I might have to leave you at the entrance, if something happens."

"Huh? Why's that?" Negi asked, looking confused.

"Ugh, it's actually part of my circumstances." Akuro looked uncomfortable but that quickly passed. Chamo popped out and commented, "You know Akuro-nii, you've been acting kind of odd ever since we came to Kyoto. Not much as Setsuna-nee-san was before she revealed herself to us, but still odd nonetheless."

A sigh escaped Akuro's lips before he rubbed his forehead, "I'm sorry Negi, it's just Kyoto's just where everything started for me, good and bad…"

The tone in Akuro's voice made Chamo back off, and Negi gave Akuro a smile, "It's alright Akuro; you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"…Thanks Negi," Akuro returned the smile gratefully, "We'd better get out of here quickly, or else someone's going to spot us."

With that out of the way, Negi and Akuro snuck out of the hotel, avoiding any of the groups, and eventually they got out through the back exit. Negi took out a map and said, "We've got to hurry to the Kansai Magic Association main temple. We can leave Konoka-san to Setsuna-san, right Akuro?"

"Yeah…" Akuro nodded. He watched as Negi took out a map he had on him and asked, "Where's the main temple anyway?"

Akuro pointed to a spot in the nearby mountains and marked with a pen he had on his person saying, "Here, this is where the temple's located Negi."

As Negi nodded and put away the map, Chamo asked, "Hey, I've been wondering, why do you know the location anyway? We know you used to live in Kyoto, but…"

"…I used to live at the HQ when I was younger, before I was sent to become Yojiro-sensei's apprentice." Akuro explained reluctantly, looking away for a second.

Both Negi and Chamo's eyes widened at that, but the shock quickly faded as Negi took out the letter that had the Mahora seal on it and said, "I'm sure we'll be able to make up with Kansai once I hand the letter over! I've got to give it my best!"

'That's optimism for you…' Akuro mentally noted as he followed Negi to designated meeting spot, where they would meet Asuna. However, when they got there, she was nowhere to be found and Negi looked around, "Huh? We were planning to go with Asuna-san this morning, and we promised to meet up here, but where is she?"

A voice that wasn't Asuna's called out to the two mages, "Negi-sensei, Akari-sensei…!"

The two turned around, only to find not only Asuna, but the rest of group five as well. Akuro quickly looked down as soon as he saw Konoka, and she still had that happy expression on her face. He heard Negi comment, "Waaah! What cute clothes!"

That's when Negi whispered to Asuna when she got close enough, "…Hold on here! W-why are the others with you Asuna-san?'

"I'm sorry Negi, Paru saw me leaving!" Asuna whispered apologetically. Akuro looked up and thought, 'Paru?'

"Negi-sensei, you and Akari-sensei were about to go somewhere using that map right? Take us with you!" Haruna looked forward to following Negi and Akuro, making the two a bit wary.

"Eh…but doesn't group five have any plans for free activity time?" Negi asked, trying discreetly to get rid of them. It didn't work as Yue simply said, "Nope!"

Haruna added, "Don't worry, and I did say that Akari-sensei should spend some time with us after spending time with the other four groups yesterday."

Before anyone could say anything about that, Konoka suddenly looked at Akuro and pleaded, "Oh, I can't take it anymore! Can I at least tell them?"

"Eh?" Akuro tilted his head in confusion. Everyone else looked confused as Akuro did as they wondered what Konoka was going on about. For some reason, Konoka took it as a 'yes' and pulled out her pactio card saying, "Look what I have!"

Akuro froze like a statue, and Negi's eyes widened at the sight at the pactio card. Everyone else, especially Asuna and Setsuna, were shocked to see the pactio card in Konoka's hand. Haruna asked, "Where and when did you get that Konoka?"

"This morning at the hotel." Konoka said happily. Hearing that made Asuna and Setsuna round upon Negi, who started to freak out when Yue narrowed her eyes and asked, "Did Negi-sensei give you that card Konoka?"

"Nope, Akari-sensei did!" Konoka said happily, shocking just about everyone present. Everyone's looks turned to Akuro as Konoka added, "Oh yes, I need to get some Pocky too."

Both Asuna and Setsuna had looks that could kill Evangeline, and Akuro suddenly went on his knees towards them saying, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I couldn't help it, Konoka had this look on her face, and the offer for Pocky was just too good too, but that look was just too hard to resist. Saying no to her is like saying bunnies are really demons in disguise and they should be wiped off the face of the Earth! I just couldn't resist, so please, please don't hurt me desu…"

There was a moment of silence, as everyone looked at Akuro oddly as he continued to look like a beggar, which happened to be attracting looks from the locals. Konoka went over to Akuro and grabbed his shoulder, "Don't worry Akari-chan; I'm sure that no one's going to hurt you, right?"

'Akari-chan?' Everyone thought at the same time as they watched the scene.

Konoka turned to the others, namely Asuna and Setsuna, they both nodded and even Haruna, Yue, and Nodoka nodded to agree. Getting up Akuro said, "Uuh, thank you Konoka…"

"Don't mention it Akari-chan!" Konoka said happily. As Akuro sighed a breath of relief, the rest of the girls took a look at Konoka's card, and they couldn't help but be impressed by it, even Setsuna couldn't help but smile at it, feeling a sense of pride at how Konoka's serene nature shows in the card, though the wand staff was a bit of an oddity. Haruna commented, "Wow, it looks cute and cool Konoka? Maybe I should get one…"

Akuro felt faint as Haruna joked, "Nah, just kidding. Though it sure looks amazing, just like Nodoka's, huh Nodoka?"

Nodoka sighed a breath of relief to know that it wasn't Negi that Konoka kissed. Haruna took note of that and said, "Oh, are you glad that Negi was the one that wasn't kissed, Honya?"

"Eh?" Nodoka said in surprise. Meanwhile, both Asuna and Setsuna rounded on Akuro with Asuna asking in a whisper, "Why did you give Konoka a pactio Akari-sensei?"

"I meant every word I said earlier," Akuro said dejectedly, "She asked me, and turned the cuteness up to the maximum. She threw in the Pocky as a sweetener and I couldn't help but cave it. It looked like she was going to cry if I said no…"

Both Asuna and Setsuna couldn't argue with that, both of them wouldn't want Konoka to cry, but they wondered if she would've if Akuro said no to her. They didn't want to think about it as Akuro said, "Don't worry; she still doesn't know about magic…I hope."

That's when Haruna said, "Anyway, let's get going! Standing here all day won't do us any good!"

Everyone agreed to that and they got moving, though Setsuna gave Akuro one last look before she was dragged along by Konoka. Negi then whispered to him, "We're going to try and lose them as we walk okay Akari?"

"Sure…" Akuro said absentmindedly. He felt that even though he made Konoka happy, he felt that it was going to be a long day before he gets grilled by the other guardian angels.

* * *

_Kyoto – tourist district_

As group five and the two teachers walked, Akuro wondered how exactly he, Negi, and Asuna were going to ditch the rest of group five. If worse comes to worse, Akuro figured that he would have to make some sort of distraction in order for at least Negi and Asuna to get away. Looking at everyone, Akuro saw Konoka dragging a flustered Setsuna around, Haruna and Yue asking Negi where they were going, and Asuna then whispering to Negi of how they were trying to ditch the girls. That's when Yue went up to Akuro, "Um, Akari-sensei?"

"Hmm? Ayase-san, is something the matter?" Akuro turned to Yue, looking to see what she wanted.

"You can call me Yue, Akari-sensei," Yue told the assistant teacher, "I was hoping that you can explain a few things to me."

Tilting his head a bit, Akuro said, "Well, if it's something I know, then I'll try to answer it the best I can."

Reaching into her pocket, Yue pulled out the Akari stencil and showed it to Akuro, "Last night, when those Negi…fakes were running around, Nodoka and I also ran into a fake you, but the fake Akari-sensei seemed more…sensible then the Negi fakes. She also told me to ask you if I had any questions about this," She waved the stencil around a bit, "And I'm sure that you can answer them."

At the moment, Akuro was glad the others were currently busy with their own things at the moment, or else he would've had another scrutiny session. He quickly came up with a story and told Yue, "Well, if it's about the fakes, let's just say that Negi and I found a book on them at Library Island a while back, and there were, um, instructions on how to make a clone of yourself out of paper. The instructions were very detailed, and uh, we somehow managed to make it actually work, though Negi's still green when it comes to it…"

Yue found the story interesting, but then she held up the Akari stencil and asked, "Then why does this one look so old and dirty?"

Akuro was ready for that one as he replied, "That paper cut out was already in the book when we first opened it. There were also instructions for an advanced, uh, substitution, and I used it as an experiment. It's also why my fake had a bit more brains in her then the Negi fakes."

Looking at the expression on Yue's face, Akuro could tell that Yue was plainly interested in what he was telling her. He couldn't help but think, 'If only she was like this in class…'

"Anyway, I'd explain it to you in more detail, but this sort of thing shouldn't be talked about in public," Akuro told Yue, "Instead, how about we get together when we get back to Mahora, and I'll explain everything in detail? I'll even teach you how to make your own substitution Yue. Though, could you just keep this to yourself for now? To tell you the truth, the whole deal is questionable and I really don't want it to spread around."

That offer seemed to go very well with Yue as she gave a small smile, while giving the Akari stencil back to Akuro saying, "I'll hold you to that promise Akari-sensei."

As Yue walked away, Akuro mentally sighed a breath of relief as he put away the stencil in his pocket. He thought, 'I hope that will satisfy Yue for now. For someone in the Baka Rangers, she's quite the inquisitive type… I hope teaching her the substitution stencil charm will be fine, provided that she doesn't use it in public, or show it to anyone else…'

Suddenly, Akuro heard Haruna shout out, "Hey, there's an arcade over there! Let's get a sticker photo as a souvenir of our Kyoto visit!"

Everyone was dragged over to the photo booth and they all took various pictures together. One of Negi and Nodoka, one of Negi and Asuna, one of Konoka and Setsuna, one of Negi, Yue, and Haruna, one of Asuna and Konoka, one of Negi and Akuro, one of Konoka and Akuro, one of Asuna, Akuro, and Setsuna, one of Konoka, Nodoka, Yue, and Haruna, and the last one of everyone together, though it was a tight squeeze. All together, they took ten pictures, and as they came out Haruna said, "Hmm, there's something funny about these sticker photos…I wonder…"

"You're just imagining things Haruna…" Yue commented.

Everyone went inside the arcade, and while Negi and the others went over to one of the games that dealt with a card game involving magic, Akuro's eye caught a DDR machine, and it got him interested as Akuro played DDR in the past as a way to improve his footwork somewhat, but it was more for fun then for training. It's been a while since he last played, but as he got on and started playing, he eventually got back into the groove and was racking up points.

As that was going on, Negi had just lost a card battle with a local Kyoto boy, and after a brief talk, the boy ran off. Haruna was shouting for him to come back, when Asuna looked around and saw that Akuro was gone. Konoka noticed it too and searched for him, "Hey, does anyone know where Akari-chan went?"

The others looked around, but they didn't see the other teacher around anywhere. Haruna looked a bit worried as she kept looking, "Don't tell me Akari-sensei gave us the slip! Or maybe she got lost!"

Negi wondered if Akuro went ahead of him and Asuna when Yue pointed out, "Something's going on over there…"

Yue was pointing over to a group of people that seemed to have gathered around one of the games in a short amount of time they were there. Haruna got curious and said, "Let's check it out!"

Back to Akuro, he had already stepped though each of the eight random stages, getting a 'AA' or 'AAA' grade on each one. He was about to go onto the bonus stage, when he heard Konoka shout, "Ah, there you are Akari-chan!"

Looking over, Akuro saw Negi and the girls approaching, and when Haruna saw the score, her eyes widened a bit, "Whoa, that's the highest score I have ever seen!"

Panting a bit, Akuro looked at the girls and boy mage, "Hey ladies, Negi, what brings you all to this side of the arcade?"

"We were just wondering where you ran off to." Asuna casually replied, looking at the game Akuro was playing with interest.

"Oh sorry-! Hold on, it's starting." Akuro said, as the bonus game started, the song being a more difficult version of Speed Over Beethoven.

Everyone watched as Akuro stepped to the song, and despite a few misses during the beginning, he managed to scrape a 'AA' grade, with the final total score showing, and that it took second place on the on the high scores screen. As Akuro imputed the name 'Akari Sakuraba', the girls and Negi looked at the name that was in first place and Negi read, "Kanade…Konoe…?"

The crowd had dispersed after a few congratulated Akuro for finishing the game, and for almost getting to the top score. Asuna and the others, except Setsuna turned to Konoka with Asuna asking, "Kanade Konoe? Is she a relative of yours Konoka? 'Cause I know that you don't have a sister…"

For some reason, Konoka had a light blush of embarrassment on her face as she nervously replied, "Uh, yeah…she is…"

Setsuna frowned in confusion when she saw the name 'Kanade Konoe' on the DDR score list. She thought to herself, 'Kanade-sama was here? Or is it someone using her name…? No, it wouldn't make sense for someone else to use her name for a game like this, and last time I heard, she was quite the DDR fanatic…'

Akuro had similar thoughts to the name as Haruna decided to go back to play the magic card game, with Yue and Konoka following her. Negi and Asuna took that chance to get away from the others, and they went up to Setsuna and Akuro with Asuna saying, "Okay Sakurazaki-san. We're leaving Konoka to you."

"Alright, please be careful you three." Setsuna said. That's when Akuro had a strange feeling ripple through him, and he suddenly changed his mind, "I think I'll stay here Negi, Asuna-san."

Negi, Asuna, and Setsuna were surprised by that as Akuro explained, "I have a feeling that I'll be needed here, so you two go on ahead. I've already marked the place, so all you need to do is look at the map if you're lost Negi."

A nod came from the boy mage as he said, "Alright, I'll see you later then Akari."

When Negi and Asuna left, Setsuna turned to Akuro and asked, "I know this is an odd time to mention this, but why did you give Ojou-sama a pactio?"

Wincing a bit, Akuro replied, "Believe me, seeing the look on Konoka's face, I'm sure even you wouldn't have been able to resist it."

Setsuna did admit that resisting a cute eyed Konoka was harder then fighting a hundred demons, and said nothing more about that. Instead she said, "Okay then, but why did you decided to stay? I'm happy that I'm not the only one protecting Ojou-sama and the others, but…"

"I know you're more than capable of protecting everyone Setsuna, but it's better if we split the responsibility between the two of us. That weird feeling I had is still there, and I'm afraid the enemy might try something today, since they haven't done anything yesterday…" Akuro informed Setsuna.

Nodding in understanding, both of them watched Konoka, Yue, and Haruna play, while keeping their guards up. Oddly enough, they didn't seem to realize that Nodoka had snuck off, following Negi and Asuna as she wondered where they were going.

* * *

**Note**: Here's the data on both Yuna and Konoka's pactio cards:

Yuna: Argentum Vesica Certamen/Silver Blade Combine – artifact abilities will be shown in later chapters

Title: Veneficus Surculus (Magic Shooter)

Number: II

Color/Tonus: Roseum (Rose)

Direction/Directio: Oriens (East)

Celestial Affinity/Astralitas: Mars

Virtue/Virtus: Audacia

Konoka: Duos Latuseris, Unus Animus/Two Sides, One Soul – will be revealed in later chapters

Title: Regina Medicans

Number: XIII

Color/Tonus: Aurum (Gold)

Direction/Directio: Septentrio (North)

Celestial Affinity/Astralitas: Jupiter

Virtue/Virtus: Caritas

Konoka's Pactio data doesn't change much apart from the Tonus, but I changed Yuna's title, because I have no idea what Missor Magicum means, and I doubt I'll find a decent translation using an online translator. Future pactios will be posted when they are mentioned in the chapter, and I don't do mistake ones, since I have no idea how to write down their data.

P.S.: While looking at the numbers, for some reason I couldn't help but think of Organization XIII from the Kingdom Hearts series…must be because of the roman numerals…


	20. Kansai Strikes Again

Chapter 20 – Kansai Strikes Again

_Kyoto – arcade_

With Akuro and Setsuna watching over the other girls, things were rather peaceful as Akuro and Setsuna leaned back on a pillar, with Akuro resting after his DDR moment. Setsuna watched as Konoka had fun, and she smiled at the sight. Taking notice of that, Akuro spoke out of the blue, "Something you find interesting?"

"Eh? No, just looking at how Ojou-sama is having fun…" Setsuna mused. Akuro figured now was a good time to address this particular issue and brought it out casually, "Why don't you go over? No offense, but you look kind of bored here with me."

"N-no, I couldn't…" Setsuna stammered, and Akuro gave a sigh saying, "You know Konoka misses you, even though you're standing here. I heard she spent two years thinking that you hated her…"

"…I'm sorry if that was a misunderstanding," Setsuna bowed her head after a moment of silence, "But all I wish is to protect Ojou-sama to my fullest from the shadows."

"From the shadows? Wouldn't that make Konoka-san look more vulnerable to our enemies though?" Akuro cryptically supplied.

"…What do you mean by that?" Setsuna turned to face Akuro with narrowed eyes, not liking what she heard. Akuro just sighed, explaining to her, "Well, if you stay in the shadows all the time, her enemies will see that as a better chance to kidnap her. At least staying right by her side would deter some, if not most of her enemies from acting out, especially since you're a strong Shinmei-ryu user."

Frowning, Setsuna couldn't find anything wrong with what 'Akari' said to her, but a part of her was fighting to reason that staying in the shadows to protect Konoka was the best course of action. Instead she abruptly changed the subject by saying, "Well…let's see how Negi-sensei and Kagurazaka-san are doing. I for one am a bit worried about them…"

As Setsuna prepared a substitution shikigami, Akuro smirked at how Setsuna was dodging the subject. He let it go for now, hoping it would start poking at Setsuna's mind now as he looked around for something else to do. That's when Haruna came over and said, "Akari-sensei, what are you doing here just standing around? And what's with Sakurazaki?"

"Ah, she's just trying to think of something," Akuro quickly replied with haste, "So, was there something you wanted Saotome-san?"

"Please, call me Haruna, or Paru, whichever you want." Haruna dragged Akuro over to where Yue and Konoka were as Akuro spoke up, "I heard some of the girls call you Paru before. What's the story behind it?"

"Oh, that's just my artist name, but it's more of a nickname for me." Haruna replied as she took out the starter deck that Negi used for the magic card game. She then asked, "Hey, do you know how to play?"

"Sorry, I had no idea that game even existed until I saw you playing it on the train." Akuro told them as he shrugged. A thought came by, 'But I do know of a card game that's pretty well known that uses a combination of monster, spell, and trap cards though…'

Haruna looked at him like he just said something outrageous, "That's crazy! I must educate you in the way of the cards like I did with Negi-sensei!"

Quickly, Akuro raised his hands up with the intention of turning her down, "That's alright Haruna-san, I think I'll pass on that one…"

"Nonsense, I can see a good player in you Akari-sensei, just like Negi-sensei!" Haruna pumped a fist while Konoka and Yue looked on. Konoka added her two cents saying, "C'mon Akari-chan, it wouldn't hurt to learn. Who knows, you might find it interesting…"

"…I guess I'll give it a shot…" Akuro said with reluctance. Haruna handed the starter deck to him and pointed at the screen, "Show us what you got, after I explain to you how to play of course!"

The time passed and Akuro was adequate at the game, though he was a bit more abysmal at it then Negi, with losing half the time. However, his stubbornness somehow kicked in and he got lucky at the very last try he did, using the starter set to actually get a really high score. He was awarded a card and to his surprise, it was the limited edition Kansai rare card. Seeing that Haruna couldn't help but say, "What? You must be lucky Akari-sensei, to get the limited edition Kansai rare card!"

Akuro felt exhausted in the meantime as he held it up to Haruna saying, "Here Haruna-san, consider this a thank you for teaching me this game."

"Ah, thank you so much Akari-sensei!" Haruna said with a squeal as she took the card from Akuro, "Thank you, thank you so much!"

Suddenly, Haruna glomped onto Akuro, making him nearly lose his balance, if not for Konoka and Yue managing to keep him standing. Haruna meanwhile, went on, "With this card, I'll be one step closer to becoming invincible!"

Yue managed to somehow pull Yue off of Haruna as they went back to the game, while Konoka asked, "Akari-chan, you alright?"

Breathing deeply, Akuro coughed and stood upright, "Yeah, Haruna-san just took me by surprise, that's all. Didn't think that she'd jump me like that though…"

'Hehe…not to mention how soft she was…' A voice in the back of Akuro's head said mischievously. Quickly shaking off that, Konoka suddenly grabbed Akuro's hand saying, "C'mon, let's go see what Se-chan's doing right now!"

They found Setsuna in the same spot where she was standing, still concentrating on her shikigami. Konoka tried calling out to Setsuna, but she wouldn't respond, and that's when Akuro made a grin on his face. Konoka was about to shout at Setsuna when Akuro put a hand on her shoulder, making her ask, "Akari-chan?"

Holding up a marker that he took out of his pocket, Akuro unscrewed it and walked up to Setsuna, "Let's see if she'll react to this…"

Konoka just stood there as she watched Akuro draw on Setsuna's face. To his surprise, she didn't react to the touch of the marker, which must meant all of her attention must be on Negi and Asuna. Giving a sigh, Akuro kept on drawing on Setsuna's face, and as it came to completion, Konoka couldn't help but start to giggle as the grin on Akuro's face got a bit wider. When he was done, he put away the marker and asked, "So, what do you think?"

"Fufufu…she looks like she's ready to join Zazie-san in an act." Konoka said through muffled laughs.

True enough, Akuro drew Zazie's tattoos on Setsuna's face, with the scar on her left eye, and the teardrop underneath her right. He also drew cat whiskers on her face, and as a finishing touch, made an angry vein drawing on the exposed part of her forehead. Apparently, it wasn't enough to snap Setsuna out of it as Konoka said, "She looks like she's still in deep thought Akari-chan. What do we do now?"

"Hmm…" Akuro thought about it until it came to him and he said, "How about this…"

Whispering something into Konoka's ear, she blushed and asked, "A-are you sure that's going to work…?"

"Eh, might as well give it a shot. Who knows, it might make her stick to you for the rest of the trip." Akuro told her as he shrugged.

Konoka looked forward to that idea and decided to put Akuro's plan into action. She gave a light scream as she shouted, "Ah, Se-chan help! Someone's trying to molest me and Akari-chan!"

As Akuro shivered at the thought, Konoka's 'scream' managed to make Setsuna snap out of it as she snapped open her eyes saying, "Who dares touch Ojou-sama? I'll slice you in half for your crimes!"

Both Konoka and Akuro laughed, while Konoka said, "Ha…ha…Why are you…spacing out like that Se-chan?"

Setsuna turned red as she waved her arm saying, "Ah, n-no real reason…and where's the molester?"

"What are you talking about Se-chan? You must be daydreaming a lot, that's not healthy you know." Konoka feigned ignorance while Akuro shook his head while still coughing out the laughs. That's when he decided to mention, "Setsuna, are you planning something with Rainyday-san?"

"…Why would you think that?" Setsuna asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked confused. Konoka played along by taking out a mirror and showing Setsuna her face, "Se-chan's whiskers look so cute…"

Setsuna's mouth dropped at seeing what was on her face as she sputtered, "W-who did this?"

Konoka turned to Akuro with a smile, making Setsuna turn to Akuro in shock. He couldn't help but crack an amused smile, "Well, you were out of it so much I thought that getting poked in the face by a marker would've caught your attention. Apparently that wasn't the case."

"Hehe…it looks like Se-chan still hasn't changed that part of her." Konoka teased, making Setsuna turn beet red as she tried to wipe the marker off of her face. It was hard, but she only managed to get the whiskers off before Konoka dragged both her and Akuro off saying, "Come on Se-chan, Akari-chan! Let's play!"

Setsuna tried to get out of it, "Ah, no…Ojou-sama, I…" but was unsuccessful. Akuro just let himself get dragged along until he had an odd chill and thought, 'Weird, for a moment I thought I felt that we were being watched…'

A bit far from them, both Tsukuyomi and Kuzuha were watching everything from afar using a hidden body charm. Tsukuyomi spoke first, "Huhu…Setsuna Sakurazaki-han, is it? I just love strong girls…"

Kuzuha looked at her little sister with an odd look, but she turned to look at Konoka and giggled, "Hmhmhm, Ojou-shama looks so pretty today…a perfect day to nab her…"

As Konoka and Setsuna played, Setsuna informed Akuro of the situation with Negi, and all he could hope was that they were going to pull through alright. However, hearing that put him on high alert, thinking that the enemy was going to use this chance at another attempt to nab Konoka, with their fighting strength now split between them.

A bit later, the three met up with Yue and Haruna, who seemed to be a bit worried about something. When they met, the first one to speak was Haruna, "Hey, have any of you seen Nodoka around?"

When they all said they haven't, Haruna and Yue got worried until Akuro put the pieces together and said, "Uh oh, she might have gone after Negi and Asuna-san…"

Yue and Haruna rounded on him, making Akuro explain, "Ha…Negi had an errand to run at the request of the Dean, and Asuna went with him as help. I guess Miyazaki-san saw them and followed with curiosity…"

Haruna tried to grill the information out of Akuro, but with Setsuna's help, they managed to come up with a cover story that had part truths in it, saying that Negi had an errand to do at a temple in the mountains. That seemed to satisfy Haruna for now as she asked, "So, where do we go now? Do we follow Negi or what?"

"Let's just look around town for now. I'm still trying to familiarize myself with the place." Akuro quickly supplied. Everyone seemed in agreement to that and the set out from the arcade, unaware that Kuzuha and Tsukuyomi were tailing them.

* * *

_Kyoto – streets_

As they walked around, Akuro noted that while Setsuna was still keeping contact with Negi and Asuna with her shikigami, she was actually sticking close to Konoka. He smirked as he figured what he had said to her was starting to get to her, though it was probably because Konoka was holding her hand. All he hoped that it would stick when they got back to Mahora when he sensed danger from behind.

Whipping around and grabbing something from the air, Akuro found himself holding five metal needles, the same as the ones that Kuzuha used in their fight on the first night. Setsuna saw that too and when their eyes connected, they both nodded with understanding, and Setsuna was the one who acted first saying, "I'm sorry Ojou-sama, but we must run now!"

"Eh?" Was all that came out of Konoka before she was dragged by a running Setsuna. Akuro quickly acted afterwards, "Yue-san, Haruna-san, we need to run too!"

"Huh? Why?" Haruna said as she ran after Setsuna and Konoka, along with Yue. All Akuro could say while taking up the rear was, "Just do it please!"

The entire group was running wildly, with Konoka and Setsuna in front, Yue and Haruna behind them, and Akuro protecting their backs. On the roofs Kuzuha and Tsukuyomi were running along, using needles to attack their targets, the Shinmei-ryu protectors. The group was running for quite a bit, with Konoka, Yue, and Haruna wanting to know what was going on. Both of them were catching the needles being thrown at them as Setsuna thought, 'Attacking in broad daylight in the street…I've always protected Ojou-sama without direct contact at the academy, but…maybe Akari-sensei's right…'

Somehow, they ended up at the entrance to Cinema Town and while Akuro looked out for anymore attempted attacks, Setsuna turned to Yue and Haruna with a red face saying, "Ayase-san, Saotome-san, I'm sorry, but I…I want to be a-alone with Ojou-sama! Let's split up here!"

Everyone looked at her oddly as Setsuna turned to Akuro and mouthed, "Please protect them Akari-sensei."

Before anyone could react, Setsuna carried Konoka in her arms and jumped over the wall and out of sight. Both Yue and Haruna sweat dropped at that as they heard Konoka say, "It's CG again!"

"W-what was that all about?" Yue asked, then muttered, "Don't you need to pay before you go in?"

"Uuun…two girls alone together…could it be that…? How exciting!" Haruna mused.

Akuro wasn't the least bit amused by this and said, "C'mon Yue-san, Haruna-san. We might as well go in after them."

Both Yue and Haruna nodded and Akuro led both of them to the entrance. Meanwhile, Kuzuha and Tsukuyomi were watching from atop a pole as Tsukuyomi mused, "Cinema Town…what an interesting place to escape to…haah…Setsuna-senpai…she's wonderful even when she's not at work!"

"As much as I would like to hear this go on imouto-chan, we have a job to do," Kuzuha said, "Also, why on earth am I carrying you like this?"

Kuzuha was holding Tsukuyomi bridal style on top of the pole as Tsukuyomi said, "It's not like the both of us can stand on this pole together Nee-han."

"That sure wasn't the case when you suddenly jumped into my arms after we ran out of needles…" Kuzuha muttered, before she jumped towards Cinema Town with Tsukuyomi in her arms.

* * *

_Kyoto – Cinema Town_

Inside Cinema Town, Akuro, Yue, and Haruna were looking for any signs of Konoka and Setsuna, but the place was quite busy to their surprise. Along the way, Akuro somehow got separated from Yue and Haruna, leaving him by himself. For the first time in a while, Akuro was aware that he was by himself in Cinema Town, surrounded by strangers, and an odd feeling crept up in his chest. Shaking it off, he looked around until he noticed something off in the distance, and decided to check it out.

When Akuro saw what, or who it was, he got on his guard. In front of him was Kuzuha, who was dressed and cosplaying as Himeko Kurusugawa from Kannazuki no Miko in her miko uniform, down to the bow in her hair. She was sitting by the lake that she was in front of, and with his approach, she looked up and said, "Ah, the Shinmei-ryu Onee-san. I didn't expect you to come to me!"

Putting a hand to Yatsusuna, Akuro said, "You're not getting Konoka-san again Kuzuha-san."

"Oh, I'm not so sure of that, Akari-san!" Kuzuha said with a smile, which unnerved Akuro a bit. That's when Kuzuha got up and said, "Let's not fight here, okay Akari-san? How about a duel for Konoka-shama? The place will be at the Nipponbashi; it's opposite of the main gate to Cinema Town. Also," Kuzuha threw Akuro a piece of paper, which he caught, "Please be in costume, it'll be more…interesting that way…"

With that, Kuzuha left using Instant Movement before Akuro could say anything. All Akuro could do was show a crossed face as he opened the paper saying, "Grrr…all I can do is follow this play for now…" When he read what was on it, he spat, "Oh you got to be kidding me?"

Making his way to the costume rental, Akuro went inside with the woman at the counter saying, "Hello, how may I help you?"

"…D-do you have this?" Akuro asked as he handed the paper over to the person, who Akuro noticed as the shopkeeper. She handed the paper back to him saying, "Oh, you must be the friend that the other girl told me about, she said she reserved this costume for a friend of hers, I guess that friend would be you?"

"Sure…" Akuro managed to say. The shopkeeper gave Akuro the costume and said, "The changing room's in the back dear, just put your clothes in the locker after you're changed."

Giving Akuro a key, he bowed his head towards the shopkeeper, "Thank you very much ma'am."

Quickly making his way to the change room, Akuro looked at the costume and thought, 'There's even a headband included…what accuracy…'

After getting changed, Akuro looked in the mirror and saw himself wearing Chikane Himemiya's miko costume, also from Kannazuki no Miko, down to the headband. If he wasn't thinking how much of his maleness had gone down the drain due to his disguise, he would've noted that it looked pretty good with 'Akari' wearing it. He sighed as he put his clothes in the locker, taking Yatsusuna, Ryuhana, his wallet, the needles he had gathered from the attacks that Kuzuha and Tsukuyomi made earlier, and locker key with him. Walking out, the shopkeeper commented, "My, you look stunning in that costume miss!"

"T-thank you…" Akuro managed to spit out before running out of the shop. The shopkeeper giggled at that and said, "Must be her first time in costume…"

As Akuro made his way to the bridge, Konoka, Setsuna, Yue, and Haruna were also making their way to the bridge, joined up with group five. Everyone was in costume when chibi-Negi arrived with Chamo and went over check what was going on. Before Setsuna could tell Negi anything, Tsukuyomi showed up with Kuzuha, with the former saying, "Huhuhu…thank you for bringing your friends…it looks like things will get quite interesting! However, we can't begin until the other person shows up…senpai…"

Tsukuyomi took a step forward saying, "Konoka-sama and Setsuna-senpai…I'm going to make you both mine!"

The girls in question tensed before Kuzuha went up and smacked Tsukuyomi in the head from behind, making the girl say, "Owie…Nee-han, that hurts!"

"Well, that's what you get for saying something stupid like that!" Kuzuha said, not looking amused, "I though we agreed, you get the bodyguard, and I get Ojou-shama!"

Both Setsuna and Konoka looked at Kuzuha; Setsuna with disgust, and Konoka looking a bit fearful, but she did note, 'That costume looks like the one I'm wearing on the card that Akari-sensei made for me…'

That's when Akuro's voice called out, "No one's getting anybody today, not if I can help it!"

The crowd parted, allowing Akuro to walk up to where Konoka and Setsuna was. There were cries of surprise and 'Miya-sama!' as Akuro walked up with Yatsusuna in hand. Kuzuha looked and said, "Ah, if it isn't Chikane Himemiya. It's been a while."

'Oh god, she's trying to make this into an act.' Akuro thought as his frustration showed as a blush on his face. Kuzuha went on, "You're so mean Chikane-chan, going for those two girls when you already have me!"

Everyone's mouths dropped as Akuro couldn't believe what he was hearing. Apparently the rest of the students couldn't believe it as well, while Tsukuyomi looked interested as she watched. Kuzuha then said, "I guess I wasn't enough huh Chikane-chan? After all those nights of comfort, you just disappear just like that."

Kazumi and Haruna watched with scandalized faces as the others looked on with confusion, wondering what was going on. Both Negi and Chamo looked on, unable to say anything, while the crowd was oddly silent. Akuro was nearly shaking like crazy as he thought, 'Damn it, I sure fell into this one hook, line, and sinker…I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from attacking her right now just to shut her up!'

Kuzuha decided to lay the finisher, "I guess I need to be more assertive Chikane-chan, and I'll start by taking that cute girl in that kimono, while my associate takes the other one. I'm sure we'll be able to give them a much better time than you could…fufufu…"

There were a lot of thoughts running though the minds of the males, Kazumi, and Haruna at the moment, while all the females looked at Kuzuha with horrified looks. Akuro had a snarl on his face, when he heard Konoka say, "S-Se-chan…those people are kind of scary…

"Please, b-be careful…" Konoka finished, which prompted Setsuna to turn to her with a smile saying, "Please don't worry, Konoka-ojou-sama, no matter what happens, I'll protect you!"

Akuro looked away at that as Konoka looked relieved, keeping his eyes trained on both Kuzuha and Tsukuyomi, to make sure they didn't try anything. That's when there was a clapping and the audience that gathered was impressed with the 'act'. As he took out Yatsusuna, Akuro heard the students comment on the two.

"Sakurazaki-san is so cool, isn't she Ayaka?" Chizuru asked.

"She should come join our club! She could play male roles!" Natsumi commented with a smile.

"Yes!" Ayaka replied to Chizuru's question, as she went over to Setsuna and grabbed her hands. She said with tears, "Sakurazaki-san! I'm moved by the love between you two! I'll lend you my strength!"

"I'm telling you, this is all a mistake Iincho!" Setsuna said.

Before anyone could say anything, there was a clash of blades and everyone turned to see Akuro clashing Yatsusuna against Kuzuha's nodachi. As they watched, Kuzuha whispered, "Let's play around before we dual. I'm sure the audience will love it!"

"Grr…" Akuro couldn't help but think, 'Hmph, might as well follow her lead, it'll give me time to think of something…or buy time for Setsuna to get Konoka out of here!'

"You…" Akuro started, as he pushed Kuzuha back, "You're not Himeko!"

Everyone gasped at that, even though it was an act as Kuzuha said, "W-what are you saying Chikane-chan? Of course it's me!"

As the two made another clash, Akuro shouted, "Himeko would never say hateful things like that, and…" Here Akuro couldn't help but blush in fury as he added, "Himeko would know that…that she's the only one for me…"

Everyone that knew what Kannazuki no Miko was about couldn't help but give an 'Aww', which happened to include Haruna. Negi and the other students were just plain confused as Akuro split from Kuzuha and went back to the end of the bridge where the students were decided to add, "And I know what really happened to Himeko after being incarcerated in the shrine!"

"Oh, and what would that be…?" Kuzuha asked, genuinely curious.

Akuro smirked and said, "Himeko's soul was split in half by Ame no Murakumo, and now reside in these two girls!" Pointing to Konoka and Setsuna, everyone's mouths dropped at that. Kuzuha raised an eyebrow, while Tsukuyomi looked very interested at what was going on. That's when Kuzuha decided to close it saying, "Hahaha…very good Chikane-chan, you were always the smart one, despite you trying to force yourself on me that one time…"

The girls who had no clue what Kannazuki no Miko was about gasped at that as Konoka said, "Akari-chan…you didn't…!"

"What are you talking about Konoka-san? It's all just an act!" Akuro quickly hissed. He mentally added, 'I'd introduce them to Kannazuki no Miko, but I really don't want to give them any ideas at this time…'

Tsukuyomi walked up to Kuzuha and said, "Nee-han, I'm getting stiff here, let's start already."

"Of course imouto-san." Kuzuha replied with a smile as both sisters got their blades ready. Akuro and Setsuna got into position with Akuro thinking, 'Guh, I hope I forget this incident the moment I leave!'

Little did he know, Kazumi was recording the whole thing and thought, 'Fufu…this is going to be good blackmail material, though it wouldn't really work against Akuro though…'

Both Setsuna and Akuro prepared to go against Tsukuyomi and Kuzuha, with Setsuna putting her hands on Yunagi. Both tensed as they stared off at each other, with neither one backing off. Akuro hoped that things will end smoothly, but ever since coming to Kyoto, things like that never seemed to come by…

* * *

**Note: Just in case anyone's wondering, I had a weird formula going on in my head when I wrote this about a month ago. It was KonoSetsu = yuri = Kannazuki no Miko, and that thought made me give big direct references to the show, something that still shakes my brain. It's surprising that there hasn't been a KnM x Negima story that involves Konoka and Setsuna or something.**

**Anyway, thanks to Ignisha for that little tidbit concerning Yuna's pactio title. I made up my own title for her since I felt that Veneficus Surculus (Magic Shooter) sounded better, and it does reference Yuna's hidden talent or something that comes out later during MahoraFest. Oh, and for the original latin titles that I make up, they're pretty much literal translations, like how I typed in Magic Shooter in the online translator and Veneficus Surculus came out in the end. I don't know if I said this already, so now I'm sure that I mentioned it.**

**That's it for now, and the next chapter will feature the dual duel between Shinmei-ryu users!**


	21. Duel Duet

Chapter 21 – Duel Duet

_Kyoto – Cinema Town, bridge_

Setsuna and Akuro were staring down Tsukuyomi and Kuzuha, who looked ready to fight with their weapons raised. After that embarrassing scene involving the two Kannazuki no Miko heroines, Akuro really wanted to give Kuzuha a good thrashing before kicking her over the edge of the bridge. Everyone was waiting with anticipation, when out from behind, Ayaka stepped up and brazenly called out to the sisters, "Hohohoho! You there! Don't you two have any reinforcements? We, Sakurazaki-san's classmates, and Akari-sensei's students, will be your opponents!"

'Oh crap…' Akuro turned to Ayaka, while Setsuna quickly pleaded, "The two of you are Kuzuha-san and Tsukuyomi-san right? These people are…"

"Yes, senpai, we know…" Tsukuyomi assured the worried hanyo. She turned to Kuzuha, who gave a nod, and Tsukuyomi pulled out paper charms saying, "My cute little pets will be their opponents!"

A bunch of paper shikigami showed up as Tsukuyomi shouted, "Hyakkiyakou!"

Everyone was impressed by the scene with some calling the shikigami cute, while Chisame and Zazie stayed on the sidelines, with the former thinking, 'Am I glad I didn't get involved in this…though what's with Sakuraba-sensei's getup, looking like that Chikane Himemiya from that yuri anime…'

Before anyone could act, Akuro jumped into the air, taking out all the needles that he collected and threw them at the shikigami while shouting, "Fujin Ranbu!"

The needles all hit the shikigami horde, though due to their numbers only half of them got nailed. During the confusion, some of the shikigami got through and started doing pervert attacks against the girls, and they were trying to make them stop. Akuro wanted to go after the sisters, but the smoke wasn't clearing and instead kept his guard up, while hearing Setsuna say, "Negi-sensei! Please take Konoka-ojou-sama and escape to somewhere safe!"

"Eh…but…!" Akuro heard chibi-Negi try to protest, but Setsuna assured him, "It'll affect only your appearance, but I'll make you life sized."

There was a puff of smoke before the chibi-Negi became life sized in a ninja outfit. The smoke was clearing and Akuro quickly turned around, "Setsuna, we'll need to coordinate our attacks, or separate those two, else we might hit each other!"

"Right!" Setsuna said in an instant. Before Negi and Konoka were about to go, Akuro called out, "Konoka-san!"

As Konoka turned, Akuro threw Ryuhana at her, and she caught it with him saying, "Please hold on to that for me!"

All Konoka could do was nod and as she held it, a sudden feeling washed over her that consisted of familiarity and warmth, but it only lasted a moment before it died down. Konoka shook her head as she and Negi were trying to flee, when both Tsukuyomi and Kuzuha launched themselves at the group. Setsuna drew Yunagi and both blocked their opponents' initial strikes, and as they were both locked Akuro tried to get answers out of his opponent, "What is wrong with you two, taking this fight to somewhere public where someone innocent can get hurt!"

"Don't worry Akari-san, if you're as good as I think you are, nothing like that will happen. Same thing with Tsukuyomi and Setsuna-san." Kuzuha assured him. The two broke apart as Akuro said, "What the heck would it take to make you back off?"

"Taking Ojou-shama of course!" Kuzuha said innocently. Apparently Setsuna heard that and the two of them shouted, "Over my dead body!"

Both of them dashed at the same time towards the two sisters, and they pushed them back further to the middle of the bridge. Akuro turned a quick eye and saw that the girls that were fighting the shikigami were pushing the fight onto the bridge also. He knew that it had to end quickly or else the girls would get caught in the crossfire.

Akuro and Setsuna regrouped and ended up back to back, with both sisters standing on top of the railings of the bridge. Akuro kept his eyes on Kuzuha as he spoke to Setsuna, "What do we do Setsuna, we need to end this fast, 'cause I doubt that these two are the only enemies around."

"…Do you know about the Dual Duet battle form Akari-sensei?" Setsuna suddenly asked out of the blue. Akuro gave a quick nod saying, "We do that?"

"Yes." Setsuna said, gripping Yunagi. Akuro gripped Yatsusuna too saying, "Well, younger ones first!"

Setsuna went on the offensive with Akuro right behind her. Tsukuyomi was surprised to see both of them going after her, and Kuzuha tried to prevent that, but all she earned was a blocking strike from Akuro. She smirked and said, "Going on the defensive all of a sudden?"

"Heh, don't count on it!" Akuro said, returning the smirk.

Kuzuha wondered what the heck Akuro meant by that when suddenly both she and Tsukuyomi were pushed back by their opponents. They went back on the offensive, but to their surprise, they found that their opponents had switched in an instant, with Akuro fighting Tsukuyomi, and Setsuna fighting Kuzuha. Tsukuyomi said, "Hmm, to think you and Setsuna-senpai can use the Duel Duet battle form. Let's see what you've got Akari-han!"

"With pleasure!" Akuro shouted as he started to attack.

With Kuzuha and Setsuna, both were currently in a lock with each other as Kuzuha smiled mischievously, "Oh, Ojou-shama's bodyguard. Let's see if you are worthy enough to protect her!"

"I might not be worthy enough, but I won't fail in protecting Ojou-sama!" Setsuna shouted as she started attacking Kuzuha.

In the middle of their attacks and quick switches, the audience who were watching were quite impressed and amazed with Akuro and Setsuna, with some commenting it looked like they were dancing to a song and were in sync with each other. Kuzuha and Tsukuyomi were finding it hard to find any openings with Akuro and Setsuna using Dual Duet. Also with the constant random changing of their opponents, the sisters were finding it hard to compensate for their different, yet similar fighting styles.

"Tch, this is starting to get annoying!" Kuzuha spat as she blocked another strike from Setsuna.

"I don't know, I'm having a blast!" Tsukuyomi said with a smile as she struck back against one of Akuro's attacks.

Despite both Akuro and Setsuna working together, they couldn't find any openings in their opponents, and Setsuna's shoulder got grazed by one of Kuzuha's strikes, ripping the fabric. Akuro nearly got gutted when Tsukuyomi tried a stabbing motion in the middle of a slash, which would've been fatal if not for dodging in time.

The two were so concentrated in fighting when someone in the audience pointed in the direction of the castle, "Look at that! Look!"

The attention of the audience turned to the top of the nearby castle and someone else pointed out, "Look! On the top of the castle! They've got a show going on in a place like that?"

Akuro realized what was going on, but he kept his eyes on Kuzuha as she was starting to get pretty vicious in her attacks. A number of them grazed his costume, resulting in thin cuts into the fabric, but nothing serious. As he gave a surprise ki-enforced kick to her side, sending her flying over the edge, he heard Setsuna shout, "Ojou-sama?"

"Ara, you shouldn't look away!" Tsukuyomi said with a smile as she attacked Setsuna, forcing her to block. That's when Akuro said from behind her, "And you should watch your back!"

Tsukuyomi whipped around and blocked Akuro's strike, and while they were in a deadlock Akuro turned to Setsuna, "Hurry up and go Setsuna! I'll hold her off!"

"Thank you Akari-sensei!" Setsuna quickly spoke as she sped off, making Tsukuyomi say, "Hey, where are you going Setsuna-senpai?"

"Hey, don't let your guard down!" Akuro shouted as he pushed Tsukuyomi back and sent her flying with a blast of ki. He suddenly had an urge to go over to the castle and he made his way over, using short bursts of Instant Movement since the people weren't paying attention, and the girls were still fighting the shikigami horde.

Up on top of the castle nearby, Konoka and Negi were staring down Chigusa and Konoka assured him that Setsuna will come to save them, and added Akuro as an afterthought. Suddenly the wind blew, and it made Negi and Konoka slip on the shingles and nearly fell over. However the demon that was there shot the arrow since he was ordered to shoot if Negi moved a single step, no matter what. Chigusa freaked out shouting, "Aaaah! Why did you shoot? We're going to get hell if Ojou-sama gets hurt!"

Negi tried to stop the arrow, but being a shikigami projection, the arrow went right through his arm which dissolved on contact. Negi panicked as Konoka stood there in shock, when Setsuna suddenly appeared in front of Konoka and was using her body as a shield. Time seemed frozen for a second as Setsuna braced herself for the impact. However it never came as red splashed across both hers and Konoka's vision. They were both frozen as they heard Akuro's voice, "Guh…you weren't planning on killing yourself, were you Setsuna?"

Negi, Konoka, and Setsuna looked to see Akuro standing there with his left arm out. The arrow had pierced his arm and the arrow head was mere centimeters from Setsuna's chest. Chigusa sighed a breath of relief, while everyone on the ground was shocked at what just happened. Akuro's arm went limp as he gripped Yatsusuna tighter in his right hand, wincing from the wound as he turned to them and asked, "You two alright now?"

When Konoka and Setsuna looked at 'Akari', they were shocked to see that 'her' eyes were now bright red instead of their usual color. Seeing that brought back a certain memory from the past when out of nowhere, Kuzuha's voice shouted from their left, "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

Kuzuha was high in the air on the other side of the castle and had her nodachi in a slashing position. Setsuna instantly went on the defensive and grabbed Konoka to shield her with her on body on instinct, but Akuro saw that Kuzuha's target was him and brought up Yatsusuna to defend. The nodachi managed to block most of the strike, but Kuzuha's blade slipped down and cut diagonally across Akuro's chest, cutting lightly into his ribs and making him cough out blood.

Everyone on the roof watched with horror as Akuro made a last ditch attempt and managed to cough out, "Z-Zantetsusen!"

A spiral ki blast hit Kuzuha right on and blasted her into the roof of the castle, stunning her into place and leaving a crater. Akuro was in intense pain from the slash on his chest as he struggled to turn to a shocked Konoka and Setsuna. He managed to sputter out, "Se-Setsuna, *hack* get Konoka outta here…guh…"

Akuro was loosing consciousness as he heard Chigusa say, "Hmph, at least one of you will be out of commission for good this time." She snapped her fingers and the demon that shot the arrow appeared in front of him. Akuro gave a smirk as he said spat, "Finishing the job, tch…"

Spitting some blood out of his mouth, Akuro watched as the demon raised it's fist, and down below the people were starting to wonder if it was really just an act, considering that Akuro's sleeve with the arrow was really getting stained with blood, along with the top half of his costume. That's when Konoka shouted out, "No, don't-!"

It was too late as the demon gave Akuro a punch, and as best he could do by blocking it with Yatsusuna was futile as he didn't have the strength to stop it. He started to fall and as his vision blurred he thought, 'I can't believe I'm going out like this…'

The students watching from below all shouted with worry, "Akari-sensei!"

Suddenly, Konoka jumped after him, with Setsuna following right beside her. They managed to catch him but Konoka's mind went into overdrive with panic, and Setsuna was considering releasing her wings to break their fall. Suddenly, just as they were about to fall into the water below, there was a bright flash of light and Konoka's magic started coming out of her body as it started healing the injuries that Akuro had received. However, in Konoka's hand, Ryuhana started reacting, and it made an even brighter flash of light, giving both Konoka and Setsuna a weird vision and putting them in a trance.

* * *

_Flashback – unknown temple_

It was dark, so neither Konoka nor Setsuna could see much, but they could tell that they were in a temple at nighttime, and at the front they saw a young woman sitting. Her face was in shadow, but they could tell that she was wearing ceremonial priestess robes from the moonlight that shown through. The two girls wondered what was going on when a door opened and a servant came in saying, "Konoe-ojou-sama, the ceremony is ready to begin, all that is left is for you to appear."

"I will be there soon." The female said. Konoka and Setsuna were confused as to what they were seeing, as the attendant said, "Ojou-sama, you do not have to do this. One of the other families can-."

"Please stop," The Konoe woman said, raising a hand, "I am well aware what the ceremony is, and I will still go through with it. Please do not stop me, I have made my decision."

"…I understand Ojou-sama." The attendant said with a low bow. The Konoe woman turned to the servant saying, "Could you please leave me alone for a bit? I need some time to prepare myself."

"…Of course Ojou-sama…" The attendant said, though Konoka and Setsuna could hear the sadness in the attendant's voice.

Alone in the room, the Konoe woman started talking to herself, "I made this choice, to protect everyone, I will go through the ceremony, but," Suddenly tears starting falling down her face, "Otou-sama, Okaa-sama, Setsuko, I am sorry for leaving you all behind, but if I do not go through with the ceremony, then the demons will keep on coming. The Aoyamas cannot hold them back forever, and the demons keep getting stronger. I must do this, to ensure that the Konoes, and the people of this land will live on."

Getting up, the woman bowed her head and said, "I am sorry that I won't be able to see my baby brother when he's born Okaa-sama, but I hope that he will grow up to be a fine man, and that he will learn how much I love him…"

Konoka felt like crying the more she saw this, while Setsuna felt the tears coming as well. Suddenly, there was resolve in the woman's voice as she took a deep breath and said, "Well, it is time to go to the ceremony, and the last moments of my life…"

The last thing both girls saw was the woman walking out with a smile on her face as the scene went dark. She whispered something, but they couldn't catch it as they were sent back to reality.

* * *

_Kyoto – Cinema Town_

Konoka and Setsuna snapped back to consciousness and for some strange reason, Setsuna was in Konoka's arms and the two were on the grass. There was cheering and clapping, as Setsuna found that there was no blood on either her or Konoka. That's when Konoka asked, "Se-chan…what happened…?"

"Uh…well…" Setsuna wasn't sure what just happened, and that's when everything came back to her and she asked, "O-Ojou-sama…you used your power…?"

"W-what was I doing? I was in some kind of trance, and I had this weird vision…" Konoka said, looking confused. That's when she noticed that there was something missing in her hands and she said, "Where's Akari-chan's sword…? Wait, where's Akari-chan? I-I remember there's blood and she's hurt and-!"

"Please calm down Ojou-sama!" Setsuna was calming Konoka down as she looked around, but didn't see any sign of Akuro anywhere. That's when chibi-Negi came down and said, "Setsuna-san! There are too many enemies around here! We have to meet up!"

"Y-yes, we should…but what happened to Akari-sensei?" Setsuna spoke to the tiny shikigami.

"Oh, Akari um, left already. She said not to worry you, and that she's fine thanks to Konoka-san." Chibi-Negi managed to say. Setsuna wondered about that, but her first task was to calm down Konoka, who looked extremely worried and anxious about 'Akari'. Going up to her Ojou-sama, Setsuna tried to calm her down, "Please don't worry Ojou-sama. You know it was all just an act in Cinema Town. I'm sure that Akari-sensei's just getting changed out of her costume that's been covered in fake blood. She'll probably call once she's done changing."

Konoka seemed to calm down and buy that story when suddenly, Setsuna carried her bridal style and said, "Ojou-sama, let's go back to your family home, and meet up with Kagurazaka-san and the others!"

"Eh…b-but what about Akari-ch-?" Konoka started to say, but Setsuna assured her, "Don't worry Ojou-sama, you know that was all just an act that Akari-sensei had to play. As I said before, she's probably just getting changed out of her costume this instant."

"I-I understand…" Konoka's voice was a bit shaky, but otherwise she calmed down. Setsuna took her away from the site with Chigusa and the others were withdrawing after witnessing Konoka's power.

Nearby, from around the corner, Akuro watched Setsuna take Konoka away and he sighed a breath of relief. He looked down and quickly reapplied the glamour on his body, since apparently, Konoka's powers shattered his glamour from the neck down as she was healing him, and when she was done, Akuro found that both Konoka and Setsuna were in a trance of some sort, which he found a bit peculiar. That's when he saw that his costume was still bloodstained, and he quickly took Ryuhana from Konoka's hands and used Instant Movement to flee the area, but found that doing the technique hurt a lot for some reason.

When everything was safe, Akuro checked himself over to see if he had any wounds that were still there, but found his body to be perfectly fine. He sighed as he thought, 'Oh boy, Konoka used magic to cure my wounds…not that I'm not grateful, but I'm just worried what's going to happen next. Once someone's magic is awakened, it's really hard to go back…'

Shaking his head, Akuro made his way to the costume shop when a horrid thought came to him, 'Oh no, how am I going to pay for this costume? It's all torn and stuff so I might have to pay for damages, or worse…buy it!'

That thought wasn't pleasant in the least as he made his way to the costume shop. However he had to be discreet about it since the blood on his costume was way too noticeable for anyone to not notice. Thanks to that, he had to make his way down alleyways and deserted streets before he could get to his destination.

When Akuro gets there, a feeling of dread washed over him, until he clenched his fist and thought, 'If I have to buy it, I'll buy it.'

Walking inside, the shopkeeper was about to greet Akuro when she saw the blood all over his costume. She went over and asked, "What happened to you?"

"Went overboard with an act," Akuro simply replied, "The fake blood got too much and a few accidents caused this, sorry."

"Ugh…this is going to be a problem." The shopkeeper mused, looking at the state of Akuro's costume. Akuro decided to offer, "I'll pay for the costume ma'am…"

"Hmm, are you sure? Buying both costumes is going to be a bit much…" The shopkeeper told him.

"I know, and I'm sure I can-, wait, what?" Akuro couldn't quite catch that last part, though he hoped he was hearing things. The shopkeeper showed the Himeko costume that Kuzuha wore, "Your friend came by earlier and dropped this off saying that you were going to buy the pair for yourself."

Akuro couldn't help but feel that he somehow got duped, and this was Kuzuha's way of revenge. The shopkeeper added, "Sorry to say, but these two costumes were bought as a pair, so they have to be sold the same way."

Giving a sigh, Akuro asked, "…How much?"

"Sixty thousand yen." The shopkeeper replied. If he had the strength, Akuro would've been freaking out by now, but as it is, all he said was, "Y-you sure…?"

"Yes, the original price is eighty thousand, but due to the condition the clothes are in, or more specifically, yours, I lowered the price. Is that alright with you?" The shopkeeper said with a smile.

Akuro felt like his life was being sucked out of him as he forked over the money, leaving him with forty thousand yen in total. The shopkeeper took the money and said, "Get changed and I'll pack up the clothes for you."

Only a nod came from Akuro as he silently pulled out the money to pay. As he went to the change room, only a stray thought came across his mind, 'After I get these fixed, I'll give them to someone as a present or something…'

Getting changed, Akuro could swear he could see Kuzuha giving an evil laugh right now, despite having lost this round. He made a mental note to contact Negi and make sure to check up on him as he got back into his regular clothes and handing the costume over to the shopkeeper. Mentally he thought, 'Sooner or later, I'm going to go broke, and I really don't want to ask for a loan…ugh… I hope Konoka doesn't look into the situation, and I'm sure Setsuna can come up with a proper cover story…'


	22. Flashback Memories

Chapter 22 – Flashback Memories

_Kyoto – streets_

Now by himself holding a bag containing a pair of miko costumes, Akuro was wondering if Konoka and Setsuna had met up with Negi and Asuna. He just smirked as he made his way to the Konoe mansion, AKA Kansai Magic Association HQ, making sure that he didn't run into any of the other students. The last thing he wanted was someone else finding out that there was something going on in Kyoto, they were wondering enough as it is. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, making sure that no one saw him, as he looked around, not really feeling familiar with Kyoto, despite living in the city before.

Eventually, Akuro caught up to Negi and Asuna, and as he kept his distance and hid, he was surprised to see Yue, Haruna, and Kazumi with them. Nodoka not so much since he figured that she had followed them back then. Konoka and Setsuna were with them and he sighed seeing that they were alright. Planning on heading back to the hotel after watching over them, Akuro didn't realize that he wasn't being as subtle as he usually acts.

Up ahead, Negi, Group Five, and Kazumi were walking together, when Setsuna perked up, making Konoka look at her in concern, "Se-chan, what's wrong?"

"…Someone's tailing us." Setsuna looked in the direction Akuro was hiding, and both Negi and Asuna tensed as they stopped. Haruna, Yue, Nodoka, and Konoka looked confused, making Kazumi ask, "Is something the matter Negi-kun?"

Before Negi could say anything, Setsuna shouted, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"…Tch, I guess I'm not up to snuff yet." Akuro said as he came out from behind the tree he was hiding behind. Everyone that was tense relaxed, though Konoka ran right up to him and gave Akuro a hug, "Ah Akari-chan, you're alright! That's was so scary back in Cinema Town, and you just disappeared all of a sudden!"

"I-I'm alright Konoka," Akuro managed to squeak out, since Konoka was squeezing him pretty tight, "A-air p-please!"

"Oh, sorry Akari-chan!" Konoka let go of Akuro, and Setsuna went up to him whispering, "Are you really all right Akari-sensei?"

"Yes Setsuna, I'm fine," Akuro turned to Konoka and the others and rolled up the arm sleeve where he was pierced by the arrow, "It was all just an act, I got caught up in an act that the staff had me perform, that's all."

Everyone seemed to buy that story, especially since Akuro showed them the healed arm, and somehow, he ended up walking with them, with Konoka, Nodoka, Yue, Haruna, and Kazumi around him asking questions. Setsuna joined up with Negi and whispered, "Truly, Ojou-sama's magic is strong, for it to have healed such serious wounds."

"Wait, what do you mean by that Sakurazaki-san?" Asuna looked a bit confused, since she wasn't told the full story yet.

After Negi and Setsuna explained everything to Asuna, she looked between Akuro and the others and both Negi and Setsuna. She scratched her head and hoped, "Well, let's just hope that Konoka's magic won't spontaneously come out or something…"

Setsuna had a slightly vacant look on her face, thinking back to the vision she had back in Cinema Town. She couldn't make heads or tails of it, and all she knew was that it was about a past Konoe. Wondering if it was a memory of a previous life for Konoka, she was in deep thought when Haruna's shouting snapped her out of it, "Ah, look, look! Isn't that the entrance?"

With Akuro, when he saw the entrance to the Kansai MA HQ, a wave of emotions flew across his mind, though he managed to keep them off his face, giving off a stoic look instead. He heard Haruna comment, "Whoa, it sure has atmosphere!"

Before Akuro or Negi knew it, Konoka, Nodoka, Yue, and Haruna rushed forward with a 'Let's go!' shout, making Negi call out to them, "Ah, wait everyone!"

Asuna whipped out her card, while Negi got off of Asuna's back and took out his staff. Setsuna and Akuro didn't make a move since they knew what was going to happen, and as they approached, everyone was greeted by the mansion's servants, all of them shouting, "Welcome home, Konoka-ojou-sama!"

Akuro couldn't help but quietly laugh at the expressions Negi and Asuna had on their faces, and Setsuna turned to him with a look. He turned an eye saying, "They sure weren't expecting that, were they?"

"I suppose so…" Before Setsuna could say anything else, the servants gathered around everyone, though most were giving Konoka and Negi the attention. Asuna turned to Setsuna and Akuro, still having a bewildered look on her face, "Sa-Sakurazaki-san, what's going on here…?"

As Setsuna explained that the Kansai MA HQ is also Konoka's home, Akuro looked around, with the memories coming back to him the more he looked. He closed his eyes, before the memories could overwhelm him, and he gave himself time to clear his head. When the servants offered to take all of them inside, Akuro held out a hand, "I'd…better get back to the hotel Negi."

Everyone looked at him as Negi had a confused look on his face. Konoka went up to Akuro with a curious expression, "But why Akari-chan? Don't you want to come in?"

"I…do, but if…uh, one of us doesn't go back to, uh, the hotel, then the other teachers might think me and Negi are being, um, irresponsible. Do you understand Konoka-san?" Everyone saw that Akuro was clearly uncomfortable about something, and for some reason, it seemed to contradict with what he just said. When one of the servants offered to escort him out, he politely refused, "I'll, uh, be going now everyone. Have a good time!"

Before anyone could say anything, Akuro instead went up to Negi and produced an envelope, handing it to Negi, "Please hand this to the chief when you see him Negi. I would do it myself, but I really need to head back to the hotel."

"Um, sure…" In a flash, Akuro ran towards the entrance and left the compound before anyone could say anything. Konoka looked concerned as the servants escorted them inside, while Setsuna wondered what was wrong with 'Akari'.

* * *

_Kyoto – Kansai Magic Association HQ/Konoka's home_

Inside, Negi and the others sat down, waiting for the chief to arrive. During that time, Negi slipped on what he was doing to the others in vague detail, and they got curious, while Konoka and Asuna talked for a bit. Meanwhile, Setsuna was busy thinking of 'Akari's' reaction earlier, and for some reason couldn't get it out of her mind. That was when the chief, Eishun Konoe, walked down the steps and greeted everyone, "Thank you for waiting. Welcome Asuna-kun, Konoka's classmates, and your teacher Negi-sensei. I'm Eishun Konoe, and it's nice to meet you all."

Before anyone could say anything, Konoka latched onto Eishun with a happy smile, "Dad! It's been so long!"

"Hahaha, there there Konoka." Eishun was caught slightly off guard by Konoka's sudden hug, but quickly returned it. Negi was surprised to see that Konoka's father was the chief of the Kansai Magic Association, while the rest of the girls minus Setsuna were talking about their opinion of Eishun. Konoka looked around after parting from her father and asked, "Dad, where's Mom?"

"She'll be coming down in a second. She's just finishing preparing to leave soon." Eishun told Konoka.

Hearing Eishun talk about Konoka's mom seemed to perk up the ears of her classmates, even Negi was interested as he looked up, holding the two envelopes in his hands. That's when they heard a voice say, "Oh, I'm sorry that I'm late, but I had a hard time finding a few things."

A second later, a young woman in a kimono walked down the stairs. From what everyone could see, the woman looked like a mix between Konoka and Akira, with her hair in a similar style to Akira's, but in the same color as Konoka's. Her face was similar to Konoka's but her eyes were a slightly different size and were chestnut brown. Konoka ran up to her and gave her a hug too, "Mom, I missed you so much!"

"Ah, Konoka, it's been so long!" The woman gave Konoka a return hug, looking very happy. Everyone was surprised to see that Konoka's mom looked young, since she looked like to be in her early to mid-twenties. Haruna whispered to the others, "Wow, that's Konoka's mom? She looks so young!"

"Tell me about it, they look more like sisters to me." Yue whispered back.

Kazumi discreetly took a picture as the two parted from each other. The woman then turned to Negi and the others and bowed, "Hello everyone, I'm Kanade Konoe, Konoka's mother. It's nice to meet you all."

Everyone nodded until Haruna mentioned, "Hey…wasn't that name on the DDR high scores back at the arcade?"

"Oh my, you saw that? How embarrassing…" Kanade looked sheepish, while everyone else just stared at her with disbelief. That's when Negi called out to Eishun, "E-excuse me…Chief-san, about this…"

Kanade took a look at Negi and whispered to Eishun, "Ne Eishun, is he…?"

"Yes, he is." Eishun whispered to his wife. Negi held out the two letters out to the chief, "I have a letter for the chief of the west, from Konoemon Konoe, Dean of Mahora Academy and chief of the east. Also, I have a letter addressed to you from a friend, please accept them!"

Eishun took the letters from Negi with a smile, "We know all about it Negi-kun. It must have been hard on you."

"N-no…" Negi looked a bit sheepish, while Eishun opened the letter that was from the Dean. The first page was addressed to him, and as both Eishun and Kanade looked at it, it read, "Can't you even control your own henchmen? Get a grip, Son-In-Law-dono, or else I'll get Kanade-chan to take over for you!"

Kanade giggled and whispered, "My, you better buck up Ei-kun. It looks like Daddy's having a bit of trouble on his end."

"He's still harsh as always though…" Eishun whispered back. He smiled and looked at Negi saying, "…Alright, by the will of the chief of the east, we will also work to eradicate our differences with those in the west. Please tell him that. Good work, Negi Springfield-kun!"

As the other students congratulated Negi, despite not knowing what was going on, Kanade took the other letter from Eishun and looked at it. When she saw the name, she mused, "Ah, it's been a while since Akuro-kun's contacted us. I was getting worried for a while…"

Konoka, who was standing beside Kanade, heard this and looked at her mother, "Is that a letter from Kuro-chan?"

"Yes dear, but I'm a bit curious why Negi-kun had it on him though…" Kanade pocketed the letter, while Konoka wondered about that too, "Hmm, I remember Akari-chan giving him the letter before running off…"

"Oh, who's this Akari, Konoka?"

"She's Negi-kun's assistant teacher, and a friend to both him and Kuro-chan. She said that she was only filling in as Negi-kun's assistant until he was finished with whatever business he had to do."

"I see…" Kanade looked a bit thoughtful before Konoka asked, "Mom, do you know where Kuro-chan is right now?"

Looking at Konoka, all Kanade could do was give her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Konoka, the last letter we received from him was from Wales, and this was back in September last year."

"…Okay." Konoka looked crestfallen, and gave a light pout. As Eishun had the servants prepare a feast, Setsuna was still sitting there quietly, listening to every word of the conversation between Konoka and Kanade. For some reason, it made Setsuna frown and made her go into deep thought, trying to figure out what was going on.

As the feast commenced, Setsuna was approached by both Eishun and Kanade with Eishun calling out to her. She whipped around and went down on one knee saying, "C-chief, Kanade-sama, you both would speak with someone like me."

Setsuna's formal attitude made Kanade sigh, while Eishun said, "Haha…please, there's no need to be formal with us. Though some things never change…

"Anyway, thank you for protecting Konoka for these last two years. You responded to both Kanade's and my selfish requests, and you did very well…"

Setsuna looked clearly embarrassed by the praise, while Negi watched with curiosity, "Ah, no…protecting Ojou-sama has always been my wish…your words are wasted upon me. B-but I have to apologize. Today I nearly let a fellow Shinmei-ryu swordswoman die because of my ineptness to properly protect Ojou-sama…"

"We've heard the story," Eishun looked at Kanade, who nodded, "It seems Konoka used her power earlier today…"

At that point, Setsuna couldn't help but bow her head a bit, "Yes, she used her power to heal Akari-sensei completely, when her wounds were severe to the point of death."

"…You shouldn't blame yourself Setsuna-chan," Kanade looked at Setsuna with caring eyes, "I'm sure Father asked her to watch out for both you and Konoka, and thanks to Konoka, she's alright now, so there's no harm done."

"Although, perhaps the initial trigger for her power awakening was her contract with you Negi-kun." Eishun looked at Negi, while Kanade had a mischievous look, making Negi panic, trying to apologize.

Both Eishun and Kanade laughed at Negi's expression as Eishun tried to calm the boy down, "Hahaha, it's alright Negi-kun."

Eishun looked at Kanade, and they both silently nodded to each other before Eishun went on, "We thought that we'd be able to give Konoka the life of a normal girl by keeping it all a secret…but perhaps the day has finally come, especially now that she has a proper probationary contract…"

Kanade gave a sigh before looking at Setsuna seriously, "Setsuna-chan, could you please discreetly tell Konoka later? I'm sure she'll be able to take in the truth, since it would be coming from you…"

Negi was silent with surprise, while Setsuna looked at the couple whispering, "Chief…Kanade-sama…"

All of a sudden, Kanade's attitude did a one-eighty as she said, "Now that that's out of the way, come here Setsuna-chan! It's been so long!"

"Ah, Kanade-sa-umph!" Setsuna was caught in a bear hug by Kanade, with her face in Kanade's chest. Negi looked at Eishun, who could only say, "Don't worry Negi-kun. Kanade's always been like that."

"Uh huh…" Negi just watched as Kanade continued to smother Setsuna, and it didn't help that Konoka decided to add herself to the mix as well.

* * *

_Arashi hotel – lobby_

Back at the hotel, Akuro was by himself after the rest of 3-A rounded on him, led by Ayaka, demanding to know where Negi and the others that went with him went. He explained that Negi was visiting a temple that was owned by Konoka's family as Mahora business from the Dean, and that story managed to make everyone back off after adding that the girls that were with him found out and were curious, so they tagged along. Now he was sitting in a recliner chair, listening to his iPod that had mini speakers attached, though his thoughts were elsewhere, namely how he felt when he was back at Konoka's home.

Everyone that passed him wondered what was going on with him, but when they saw the vacant look on Akuro's face, they didn't say anything and just walked past him. Now he was trying to clear his thoughts when a song started playing, and it brought back the memories in full force.

_Nokosareta yume no ato fumitsukeru_

_Kimagure na shinigami ga tachidomatta_

_Surechigau boku wo miru tsumetaku_

_Oroka na tsumi wo_

_Keshikakeru you ni_

_Nobasareta te wo furihodoi ta_

* * *

_Flashback – Kansai MA HQ, ten years ago_

_After being found by servants on the outskirts of the temples by servants, six year old Akuro was taken in by Eishun and Kanade, with Eishun actually teaching him Kendo two months after being taken in, with the time passing being half a year. Still young, he was confused with his surroundings, and just went with whatever he was told, finding it simple to just follow._

_He was now by himself in the dojo, since both Eishun and Kanade were busy greeting someone from the Aoyamas that was arriving today, and they were bringing someone who was most likely going to be introduced to Konoka. Eishun, who was his teacher at the time, told him that he should stay back and continue practicing his swings. If anyone was to pass by, they would probably think that the scene looked pretty lonely._

_All this time, Akuro had heard about Konoka from both Eishun and Kanade, but had never met her. The Konoe couple looked like they wanted to introduce Akuro to Konoka, but from what Akuro could see, something was holding them back. He didn't question it, not really interested in anything else but learning Kendo, something that worried Eishun a bit. _

_Now the boy would've stayed in the dojo if he hadn't heard a scuffle coming from the outside. At first Akuro ignored it, but it kept on going and the noise actually poked his curiosity. So he held the kendo stick he had with one hand and quietly walked out of the dojo. Poking around the outside, he followed the sound of the scuffle and when he turned a corner, he saw a white cat being what looked like beaten up by various other cats. For some reason, seeing this scene didn't go well for him, so he gripped the kendo stick in his hand and brandished it shouting, "Hey you cats! Get off that one!"_

_The shouting caught the attention of the other cats as they turned towards him, and they hissed and backed away as Akuro swung his kendo stick at them. That's when the cats decided on a new target, and they looked at Akuro with scary eyes, which made him back away with a bit of fear. All of a sudden, all the cats tried to attack him, and Akuro promptly bolted, with the cats giving chase._

_The boy kept on running, yet the cats didn't let up, and looking at them, Akuro thought he saw something much scarier than a group of angry cats. That made keep on running for fear of his life, and he really didn't care where he was going. Some of the servants saw him running with angry cats chasing after him, and they wondered if they should report it._

_At the entrance, Konoka and Setsuna just met when they heard shouting, and when everyone looked, they saw Akuro being chased by cats. They watched as he tripped and fell to the ground in a heap, and the cats took that chance to maul him. He curled up into a ball, since the kendo stick rolled near Konoka and Setsuna. Kanade quickly went over and managed to get the cats off of him, and she took them away, and when Akuro didn't feel the cats on him anymore, he looked up, only to see both Konoka and Setsuna looking at him with curious eyes. For a second, Akuro thought he saw little white wings on their backs until Konoka smiled and held out her hand, prompting Setsuna to do the same. That's when they both said at the same time, "Are you alright?"_

* * *

_Fukiareru kanashimi ga_

_Kono mune wo kasumete_

_Ikutabi mo kurikaesareru mujou ni_

_Kaere nai natsukashiki hibi sae mo nikume ta_

_Bokura ni nani ga dekiru_

_Kakagerareta eikou no imi nado_

_Wakaranu mama_

_Kirisute te kita hazu no kankaku ga_

_Yomigaeru reisei wo matoi nagara_

_Kasoku suru iradachi wo kakushita_

_Kanjou nanka_

_Yakunitata nai_

_Dakedo kokoro ga oitsuke nai_

* * *

_Flashback – gardens, nine years ago_

"_Look Kuro-chan, a kitty!" Konoka pointed from behind Akuro._

_"Wha? No!" Akuro practically jumped at Konoka's words, distracting him and giving Setsuna an opening. She hit the birdie towards Akuro, making it land on his head with a boink, and making Setsuna shout, "That's one win for me!"_

_"Hey, no fair! Kono-chan tricked me!" Akuro shouted._

_Konoka giggled, "I didn't do anything~!"_

_The three of them were playing in the gardens as part of their free time. Being home schooled, the three had a lot more time after their lessons were done, and now the three were taking turns playing badminton. Akuro pouted shouting, "Redo! Kono-chan distracted me!"_

_"Nope, it's your fault that you're not concentrating!" Konoka shouted gleefully. Setsuna giggled at that, while Akuro just fumed. He just shook his head and handed the racket over to Konoka saying, "Here then, let's see what happens if it happens to you!"_

_After playing, and an incident where Konoka freaked out when a garden snake went up her leg, the three of them sat on the grass, resting from the badminton matches. Akuro sighed and said, "So, what do we do next?"_

_"Hmm…I know! Let's make a promise!" Konoka said out of the blue. Both Akuro and Setsuna looked at her oddly as Setsuna asked, "What promise Kono-chan?"_

_"Let's see…" Konoka looked deep in thought, making Setsuna turn to Akuro, "What do you think she's thinking about?"_

_"I dunno…" Akuro wondered the same thing when Konoka clapped her hands together saying, "I know! Let's make a promise that we'll stay friends forever and ever!"_

_"…Forever and ever?" Akuro thought it sounded quite deep, while Setsuna just stared at Konoka with surprise. _

_At that instant, Konoka took both Akuro and Setsuna's hands and placed them on her own saying, "Let's promise that we'll be friends forever and ever, okay?"_

_Both Akuro and Setsuna looked at each other for a moment before smiling, and the three of them said at the same time, "Friends, forever and ever!"_

* * *

_Hangyaku no scenari__o ni_

_Maiorita datenshi_

_Naze kimi wa hikari no soto ni iru no ka_

_Kizuita yo moshi boku ja naku umarete i tara_

_Waratte irareta ka na_

_Mushou no ai sono naka de_

_Kodoku nado shiranu mama_

_Kyoushuu wo utsushidasu_

_Tooi sora wo mitsumeta_

_Donna ni negatte mo_

_Kawa ni furerare nai_

_Makete itanda jibun no yami ni_

* * *

_Flashback – Kansai MA HQ entrance, eight years ago_

_Akuro was standing outside the entrance, with Yojiro beside him, and Kanade standing before him looking a bit upset. Akuro looked lost and sad, and all he could do was stare at the ground, with what he had been told going over in his head. All Kanade could do was look at him before addressing Yojiro, "Please take care of him Uncle. I don't know what's going on with the council anymore…"_

_Yojiro, who was sporting a beard and mustache similar to Konoemon's, but his eyebrows weren't as bushy, letting people see his sharp eyes. His grey hair was long and went past his shoulders. Currently he didn't look very pleased with the situation, but he told Kanade, "Don't worry Kanade, I'll take care of him and train him to be a Shinmei-ryu swordsman, as per Eishun's request. But still, this situation is far from usual. Have you contacted my brother yet?"_

_"Daddy's already pushing for the sentence to be dropped on the Kanto side, but most of the Kansai council is still adamant about the sentence. Just between you and me uncle, I think there's something going on with the council, and this sentence on Akuro has made Eishun suspicious." Kanade whispered._

_"Ha…no matter, I'll make sure that Akuro here becomes strong enough to stand on his own two feet." Yojiro looked at the boy, and had a sympathetic look for him. That's when Akuro whispered, "Did I do something wrong…?"_

_Kanade heard that and went over to give the boy a hug, "No Akuro, you did the right thing protecting Konoka and Setsuna. Those adults are being big dummies, so just leave it to me and Eishun to sort things out. I promise that you'll see them again one day."_

_Looking up at Kanade, both she and Yojiro saw the red eyes that Akuro had, along with the tears as he whispered, "…Thank you Kanade-sama…"_

_All Kanade could do was give Akuro another hug before parting, and Yojiro motioned to Akuro, "C'mon Akuro-kun, let's go."_

_Giving a quiet nod, Akuro left with Yojiro, taking one last look at the entrance before making their way away from the temples._

* * *

Present Time

_Tachimukaeru daremo ga tatakatte iru_

_Kienai kizuato wo kakae te_

_Fukiareru kanashimi ga_

_Kono mune wo kasumete_

_Ikutabi mo kurikaesareru mujou ni_

_Ubawareta hakanaki hikari iki ta akashi wo_

_Tsunai de donna hoshi mo_

_Ukeire te boku wa ikiru_

_Saigo no shunkan made_

"Ak...se...Aka...sei...!"

Akuro was really in his memories that he didn't hear whoever was calling him. That was until someone shook his shoulder and the voice was clear as day now, "Akari-sensei! Akari-sensei!"

Snapping out of it, Akuro looked up, only to see half of 3-A looking at him with concerned looks on their faces. Ayaka spoke up for everyone asking, "Akari-sensei, is everything alright?"

Confused with all the concerned looks he was getting, Akuro looked at everyone, "Yes, I'm fine, but what's with all the looks everyone?"

"You have tears in your eyes Akari-sensei." Makie pointed to Akuro's face, looking quite worried. Akuro raised an eyebrow and touched his face, feeling the tears that were going down his face. He quickly wiped them away and quickly said, "Oh, I was just remembering something from my past, it's nothing to be worried about."

"I see…" Most of the students accepted that, and everyone left, and Akuro got up too. He picked up the iPod, which had just run out of battery power, and made his way to his room, hoping to clear his head.

* * *

_Kansai Magic Association HQ/Konoka's home – hotsprings baths_

In the baths, Asuna and Setsuna were busy hiding from Negi and Eishun, who were busy talking while bathing. They overheard them talk about Konoka's power, Chigusa's plans, and the current circumstances. When Negi asked about Nagi, Eishun gave a smile and thumbs up, "That idiot Nagi Springfield…the Thousand Master…we were inseparable friends!"

"Eh…?" Negi was surprised at that to say the least, along with Chamo. Asuna was a bit stunned to hear that along with Setsuna when they heard Eishun ask, "By the way, how is Akuro doing?"

Setsuna's ears perked up as Negi replied, "He's doing fine, he's been a great help to me so far."

"I see, that's good…" Eishun nodded his head with approval. Asuna seemed to have an idea what he was talking about, while Setsuna whispered, "What is Negi-sensei talking about…?"

Before Asuna could say anything, Negi went on to say, "But it's been really hard on him, being forced to disguise himself as a girl. I think being 'Akari Sakuraba' starting to make him crack under the pressure."

Asuna turned to Setsuna, who had a look of total shock on her face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing as Eishun laughed, "I think so too, especially the part where he caved in to give Konoka a pactio card. But then again, it was probably hard for him to resist her requests. He's always been like that…"

Looking at a stunned Setsuna, Asuna prodded her on the shoulder, "Hey Setsuna-san, what's wrong with you?"

'A-Akari-sensei is actually K-Kuro-chan…?' Setsuna thought back on all the times she interacted with him under his guise as Akari, and still couldn't believe it. Meanwhile, Negi was about to ask Eishun another question when they heard the girls' voices coming from the screen on the other side, arguing about what happened in Cinema Town.

As Negi and Eishun ran over to the rock that Asuna and Setsuna were hiding behind, Asuna quickly shook Setsuna on the shoulder whispering, "T-they're coming over here! What do we do?"

"Wha-? D-don't ask me!" Setsuna just snapped out of it, and was now panicking over the sudden situation. Asuna just mumbled, "Oh screw it, let's just make a bolt for it!"

That didn't happen as Negi was a bit fast, and collided with Asuna who just poked out from behind the rock. The two collided and ended up with Negi on top of Asuna, with Negi's hand in a place where it shouldn't be. That's when Konoka, Haruna, Yue, Kazumi, and Nodoka walked in, and saw the scene. There was a moment of silence before pandemonium started, and it ended up with Negi and Eishun being chased out of the baths, with Eishun thinking, 'Thank goodness Kanade's gone out to meet Uncle Yojiro tonight…who knows would've happened if she found out…'

Meanwhile Setsuna was by herself, thinking over what she just over heard. As if everything was falling into place where explanations were concerned, Setsuna vowed to corner Akuro and get the story of why he was in disguise out of him.


	23. Death Match

Chapter 23 – Death Match

_Arashi Hotel __–__ Negi and Akuro__'__s room_

Back at the hotel, Akuro was by himself in his and Negi's room, looking through his things for a certain item. He had received it before they came on the trip, but didn't have the time to look at it. Now though, he figured it was a good time to look at it as he pulled out an envelope that contained a magic letter from Wales. Opening it, he unfolded the letter and pressed the play button, and Nekane's image appeared on the letter, starting to speak.

_Akuro,_

_It__'__s been a while since your last letter; I was getting worried that you might have died on one of your jobs or something. I__'__m glad to see that you__'__re alright, but imagine my surprise when Negi__'__s next letter tells me that you__'__ve been hired at Mahora to be his assistant teacher for the new term, and after that, you telling me the story in more detail. To be honest though, I__'__m glad that you__'__re there to help Negi, Akuro. Even with the letters saying that he__'__s alright, with you there, I can be at ease with you watching over him, though you being in disguise as __'__Akari Sakuraba__'__ is a bit odd, but I understand your circumstances._

_As for me, I actually took up fighting lessons in hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship back in November. I__'__m sure that you__'__re surprised; I know I was when I look back on it now. I guess our Pactio made me think about a few things, and I__'__ve been training my magic capabilities as well. It__'__s really nice actually; it keeps me occupied now that Negi and Anya aren__'__t around. Fufu, Anya was actually surprised when she learned I was training myself to be stronger, though she still doesn__'__t know about our Pactio together; she was close to discovering it though. Anyway, I should thank Mr. Yojiro for his help; his teaching me basic swordsmanship has been extremely helpful._

_Ha, well anyway, I hope that you__'__re doing well. I__'__m sure seeing Ms. Konoe and Ms. Sakurazaki again must be hard for you, but I__'__m quite sure everything will work out in the end. Call it women__'__s intuition and being your partner. I know that you__'__re strong, but don__'__t overdo it okay? I__'__m sure that you don__'__t want to worry Negi so much, Anya__'__s been wondering what the two of you have been up too, since both your letters have been a bit vague in that regard. Oh, and thanks for telling me about that Pactio that Negi made with Ms. Kagurazaka, I can always count on you for information, fufufu._

_So, good luck with everything and I hope to hear from you again soon. Also, I might consider coming over to Japan myself; I want to show you what I__'__ve learned so far, and I do miss Negi too. Just don__'__t tell him anything yet, if I do come, I want it to be a surprise._

_Nekane,_

"Ha, it looks like Nekane's doing well," Akuro mused, "From what it sounds like, she's learning to become a Magic Swordswoman. Sounds interesting…"

Folding the letter and putting it back in the envelope, Akuro was in the middle of putting it away when there was a knock on the door. He turned to look saying, "Yes? Who is it?"

There was no response, and instead the door opened, admitting individuals that Akuro was surprised to see. Coming in was Negi, Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Nodoka, Yue, Haruna, and Kazumi. Akuro looked surprised to see them and he looked at each one, "What the…? Aren't you all supposed to be back-."

Akuro suddenly stopped when he realized that the people standing in front of him were actually shikigami copies. He narrowed his eyes until the Negi copy stepped up saying in a low voice, "We've been sent by the chief of the Kansai Magic Association to fill in for the various individuals you see here. Also, I have a message for Akari Sakuraba from Kanade Konoe-sama. She says, 'I'll come visit you tomorrow, and I'm bringing Uncle with me too.' That is all."

"Okay…" Akuro was a bit freaked out at first, but he sighed and said, "Well, just go and act natural. No funny business, you hear me?"

"Yes Akari-sama!" The shikigami nodded. As they left the room, Akuro rubbed his head and thought, 'Might as well go out for a stroll or something…wait, I have to make a new shikigami paper. This one's pretty old and it's really unstable, if the incident with Ayase-san has anything to say about it.'

* * *

_Arashi Hotel __–__ lobby_

Later, Akuro was sitting on one of the lounge areas of the lobby, along with Kaede, though the two of them didn't say anything to each other. Though, it was more like Akuro in deep thought and Kaede respecting his space, though she took the time to study 'Akari' a bit. She knew that there was something off, but she didn't pursue it, as she saw that he wasn't a malicious threat, and that he was friends with Negi. However, she wondered what he was hiding when she received a phone call on her cell.

At the same time, Akuro's cell rang and he answered it saying, "Hello?"

"A-Akari, it's me Negi!" Negi's voice on the other end sounded quite panicked and Akuro quickly got up and moved away from everyone else. Once he was far away enough he asked in a low whisper, "Negi, what's going on?"

"The enemy's attacking the headquarters, and the chief, along with some of the others have been petrified!" Akuro nearly dropped his phone, but managed to keep his composure, "Where are you right now?"

"I'm with Setsuna-san, we're going to meet up with Asuna-san and Konoka-san!" Negi quickly replied. Akuro nodded and said, "I'll be there as soon as I can Negi. Try to hold out, and try to call the Dean for some backup."

With that Akuro hung up before Negi could say anything else and grunted in frustration. However he quickly brushed that aside and went back to the lobby, and saw Kaede, Ku Fei, and Mana ready to leave somewhere. Looking at them he asked, "Where do you three think you're going?"

Kaede looked hesitant to answer, but seeing the look in Akuro's eyes made her reply, "Yue-dono called me for help, and I was thinking of bringing Ku Fei and Mana with me."

From what he could tell, Kaede and Ku Fei were strong in their own right, and Akuro recognized Mana having a mercenary air about her. He sighed, "…I'm coming with you. Negi just called me with a similar request, and I'm sure that the two are related. If anyone finds out, tell them that I brought you three out."

"I understand de gozaru, but I think we need an explanation first. You seem to know what's going on de gozaru." Kaede told him. Akuro nodded in agreement, with the four of them quietly making their way. All the Shinmei-ryu mage could think was, 'I hope we can make it in time…'

* * *

_Kyoto __–__ train_

"Hmm, so this group of rogue Kansai mages has been attempting to kidnap Konoka-dono because she has a strong power within her, and these rogues plan to use her power to attack the west like Mahora? Did I get that right?" Kaede looked at Akuro with a serious expression.

"Yes, that's essentially it." Akuro had a worried look on his face, and the worry forced him to spill what he knew.

Akuro, Kaede, Ku Fei, and Mana were on a local train heading in the direction of the Konoe household. Due to the severity of the situation, Akuro had to disclose everything about the situation to the three, including the secret of magic. To his surprise, only Ku Fei seemed surprised by it's existence; both Kaede and Mana didn't have much of a reaction, but he let that slide since time was of the essence, and there were bigger things to worry about.

Gripping both Yatsusuna and Ryuhana, which were both out in the open, Akuro hoped that they'd be able to get to the others in time. When the train made the stop where they were supposed to get off, Akuro looked around until he saw a small twister over the hills. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but mutter, "Nice to show us where you are Negi…"

Turning to the other three, Akuro asked, "What are you three going to do?"

"I'm going to fine Yue-dono, I'm sure that she's still lost in the mountains." Kaede replied.

"Ku Fei and I will head to where that cyclone is," Mana informed them, "I'm sure that Setsuna and the others need the help."

"Okay then, let's go." Akuro immediately dashed off towards the twister, surprising the girls but they went after him to catch up. They wondered what was going though his mind, but they didn't dwell on it, since their classmates were in danger.

* * *

_Kyoto __–__ mountain area_

Inside the cyclone, Setsuna was about to kiss Negi for a Pactio, but in her mind, her thoughts were about Akuro and what she had learned earlier. A part of her was still hesitant, thinking how Konoka had her first proper Pactio with him, but she shook her head of those thoughts, since it was improper at the time. In the end, she strengthened her resolve and bent down to kiss Negi.

As they parted, Setsuna looked at Negi asking, "Sensei…please…take care of Ojou-sama!"

"Right!" Negi too was staring at Setsuna, looking quite serious. They snapped out of it when Asuna shouted at them, and at the same time the twister barrier was starting to fade. Negi however, used Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens to clear a path through the demon horde, and managed to get through them, leaving Setsuna and Asuna behind to deal with them.

In another part of the area, Akuro, Kaede, Mana, and Ku Fei were heading towards the fighting area when from the trees, needles shot out and the four managed to dodge the attack. A moment later Kuzuha came out from the trees with her nodachi aimed right at Akuro. Drawing Yatsusuna, Akuro blocked the attack as he quickly shouted, "You three keep on going! I'll hold her off."

The girls didn't say a word as they left Akuro, letting him deal with Kuzuha. When they were gone Akuro spat, "You just don't know when to back off, do you?"

"Oh, don't be like that," Kuzuha had an eerie smile on her face, one that was quite ominous, "I still have to pay you back for what you did back in Cinema Town, Onii-san!"

Akuro froze at that instant, and Kuzuha's smile grew, "Surprised that I know your true gender? You hid yourself really well, but I managed to see your little disguise break back in Cinema Town, face and all. It was only for an instant, and it made me wonder…"

There was a flash, and both Akuro and Kuzuha locked swords, "You really should stop talking and focus more on defending yourself Kuzuha!"

Pushing Akuro back, Kuzuha noticed Ryuhana on his back and her eyes widened in surprise, "Well, well, isn't that the Shinmei-ryu blade Ryuhana? If it's the real deal, then you must be Akuro Sakuragi…"

Narrowing his eyes, Akuro eyed Kuzuha as he kept up the offensive, and in another deadlock, Kuzuha told him, "Word's been going around for a while now you know, how Ryuhana has found a new wielder, passed down from Blademaster Konoe. The name of the new wielder is still unknown to some, but with a little digging, your name just pops out, Sakuragi-san!"

"…You really are a chatty person, aren't you? Zanganken!" Kuzuha managed to evade Akuro's technique, and returned it with a Raimeiken. Jumping out of the way, Akuro suddenly felt a strong, magical presence erupt, and thought, 'No, what's going on?'

Kuzuha felt it too, "Oh? It looks like Chigusa-san's already started…"

"What do you mean by that?" Akuro didn't like the situation one bit, and was looking for an opportunity to escape and head towards the source.

Noticing the intent, Kuzuha went on the offensive while saying, "Hmm, if you can beat me, maybe I'll tell you. But then it'll probably be too late anyway. I was just hired to follow Chigusa-san's instructions, so it doesn't really matter to me."

'A hired hand, go figure…' Akuro thought bitterly as he engaged Kuzuha one more time. As the two fought, Akuro briefly wondered how Kuzuha recovered quickly from their fight in Cinema Town, but pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

The fight kept dragging on, and Akuro was even forced to use magic as a way to throw her off. After shooting twenty-nine Sagitta Magica thunder arrows at Kuzuha, Akuro watched as Kuzuha deflected all of them with her nodachi while saying, "Oh, using magic in a fight between Shinmei-ryu? You're really pulling out all the stops, aren't you?"

"I really don't have time to play around with you, you know that?"

"Who says that we're playing? I'm quite serious here."

"Just get out of my way!"

"No can do Sakuragi-san, so I think it's time that I incapacitate you."

Akuro eyed Kuzuha as she took out her kodachi and stabbed it into the ground while shouting, "Shinmei-ryu Kessen Ougi: Shin Raikōken!"

"Oh shi-!" Akuro had to quickly get out of the area as the area exploded around Kuzuha. Dust flew into the air, and when it settled, there was a wide crater with Kuzuha in the center, who was unharmed by the way. Akuro managed to stay clear of the blast, though he looked like he rolled in dirt. Kuzuha smirked at the look, but that quickly faded as Akuro shouted, "Jakuzankūsen!"

That technique sent Kuzuha flying back, but not as much as it should, since she managed to right herself and land without difficulty. Kuzuha smirked as she went on the offensive, forcing Akuro to dodge her attacks, and try to lure her closer to the lake, where the ritual was taking place.

Kuzuha noticed what Akuro was trying to do, and promptly threw a needle at Akuro's leg, which was narrowly blocked, "I really don't like playing cat and mouse Sakuragi-san."

Instead of a retort, Akuro threw a spell at her, "Dios Tukos!"

The electric spell slammed down on the spot where Kuzuha was standing, making the area explode as Akuro jumped back. Kuzuha managed to get out of the way, but it managed to fry part of the sleeve of the miko garb that she was wearing. Looking at it, the expression Kuzuha had turned serious as she said, "Hmm, I'm going to make you pay for that, just like I did back in Cinema Town…"

Before either of them could act, there was a flash of light coming from the lake, and everyone fighting actually turned to watch as Ryômen Sukuna no Kami was summoned due to Konoka's power. Seeing the gigantic Demon-God, Akuro felt Ryuhana start to shake slightly at it's presence. Meanwhile, Kuzuha was quite impressed with the summoning as she mused, "Hmhm…to think that was what was sealed away in that giant rock…how interesting…"

Akuro took that chance to mentally chant a spell that Negi had taught him a while back, and as he kept an eye on Kuzuha, he saw a Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens blast hit Sukuna, but it dissipated against the Demon-God's aura due to it not being focused enough. That's when the magical aura around Akuro flared, and Kuzuha turned to look, a bit interested in what he was doing. The fact that she wasn't attacking him confused him, but he made sure to keep his guard up as he pointed Yatsusuna towards Sukuna shouting, "Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens!"

Down at the altar, Negi was in shock that his spell had no effect, and kneeled down tired as Chigusa gloated. All of a sudden, Akuro's spell hit Sukuna in the chest, something that made Negi and Fate, who had broken free from his restraints, look up. And unlike Negi's spell, which dissipated, Akuro's caused an explosion, which scorched Sukuna's chest, making it roar in annoyance.

Chigusa looked pretty shocked as she shouted, "Wha-? Where the heck did that blast come from?"

Chamo realized what was going on and shouted, "Hey Aniki, it's Akuro-nii! He must've arrived in time to help! But that spell looked like it traveled pretty far though…"

Despite being tired, Negi couldn't help but feel glad that Akuro was around to help, but that feeling went bye-bye when Fate looked at him saying, "You fought well…though it's too bad Negi Springfield…"

'Damn, if only Akuro-nii was here, he could summon Konoka-nee-san with his Pactio card and we could've made a quick getaway!' Chamo thought after telling Negi to summon Asuna and Setsuna using his Pactio cards.

Back with Akuro and Kuzuha, the Shinmei-ryu girl looked honestly impressed with Akuro's attempt to attack Sukuna. She actually clapped and smiled, "Wow, you actually landed a hit on the Demon-God. Since you actually landed a hit, let's see you try it again!"

Akuro was already chanting the spell again in his mind as he gave a look of confusion, "…Why would you let me try again? Wouldn't that be against your mission or something?"

"Not really…I doubt you have the power to actually destroy the Demon-God in one shot, so what would it matter?" Kuzuha gave Akuro a smile that he couldn't help but feel it was ominous.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Akuro held out his hand, pointing Yatsusuna in Sukuna's direction again and shouted, "Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens!"

Putting more power into this one, Akuro nearly slipped from the recoil as a bigger blast erupted from him and was sent towards Sukuna. Kuzuha couldn't help but widen her eyes as she watched the blast head over to Sukuna at a fast speed.

Down at the altar, Negi just summoned Asuna and Konoka to his side, and the three of them were facing Fate. As he was about to chant a spell, Akuro's second shot hit Sukuna again, but this time the Demon-God raised it's left arm to block the blast. Asuna was surprised by that shot as she shouted, "Hey, is that who I think it is?"

"Oh yeah Ane-san, it's Akari-nee!" Chamo shouted, unaware that Setsuna already knows about Akuro.

Hearing that made Setsuna feel more confident, especially seeing that Akuro's spell left a mark on Sukuna's arm. Up above, Chigusa couldn't believe that Sukuna was hit twice, and despite the spells not doing much damage, the fact that they hit at all was a remarkable feat. Chigusa had a feeling that it was Akuro's doing and she muttered, "What the heck is that Kuzuha doing?"

Akuro was panting after putting a lot of magic into the last Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens, and that's when Kuzuha made a sudden attack, with Akuro barely managing to bring up Yatsusuna in time to block. Giving the girl the evil eye, Akuro spat, "Figures you'd do this, hitting someone when they're down."

"Oh, I gave you enough time to recover Sakuragi-san. And look, you blocked it, didn't you?" Kuzuha said with a smirk.

"…What's with you? You're being awfully chatty for a Shinmei-ryu swordswoman." Akuro couldn't help but feel that there's something wrong here, but that could just be Sukuna in the distance, looking all powerful looking and such.

Kuzuha didn't answer that time, and just kept up the attack, and in Akuro's weakened state, she got in a few hits on Akuro, right on the arms and legs. Wincing, he eyed Sukuna in the corner of his eye and thought, 'I can't let this go on any further, Kuzuha's taken enough of my time! I guess I'll have to use that…'

Focusing on the magic within him, Akuro went on the full defensive, evading all of Kuzuha's attacks. She felt something coming from Akuro and as he sent a Zantetsusen flying towards Kuzuha, Akuro's eyes turned red as two jet black wings appeared on his back.

Her eyes widening in surprise, Kuzuha commented, "So, this is why some call you the human freak. You're no Hanyo, yet you have those wings like a crow."

"They ain't crow's wings Kuzuha-san," Akuro said in a deadly serious voice, "But I don't have to explain what they are to you."

"Hmph, no matter, I'll just tear them off of you to find out!" Kuzuha shouted as the two of them dashed towards each other, looking like they're going for the final strike. They clashed blades as Negi and the others fought on against Chigusa and Fate.

* * *

Note: Here's an update to SCS. Now I know the bit at the end of this chapter is more or less cliché, having an OC character have something special and the like. It will be explained in more detail in the next chapter. I'm sure someone's going to say something about it regardless, and not in a good way.

Well anyway, here's chapter 23, and if any of you readers don't know, I've started a side project fic called Project Class D: A Mahora Story, which is an AU of this fic, sort of, which includes an additional class made up with characters from four different series, since I don't have the brainpower to think up of more OCs on the fly, especially enough to fill an entire class, and even then I fell a bit short. So if you want, check it out, though it's only in it's starting stages with only 3 chapters.

Oh, and if any of you readers read through the whole story again, and find anything out of place, like missing borders or odd grammar, please mention it to me. I've been hearing that has been doing something to people's stories unintentionally (I think) in those terms, so I would appreciate a heads up and I'll check in on it.


	24. Zantetsuken

Chapter 24 – Zantetsuken

_Kyoto – mountain area_

The fight between Akuro and Kuzuha was getting more intense, with both Shinmei-ryu users seemingly taking things up a notch, or two considering how harsh the fight looked. Akuro gaining wings that seemed to enhance his mobility, and Kuzuha showing more skill than she previously showed. If one tried to interfere, it was safe to say that the person would most likely end up as meat cubes if they weren't master swordsmen.

As for Akuro's wings, one would think that he was a Hanyo like Setsuna at first glance, but it's actually a special ability that he's had ever since it first came out eight years ago. He didn't know it at first, but four years later, after entering Meridiana Academy, Akuro researched it with the help of Negi and Anya, and found it to be a somewhat rare ability called Magic Manifestation. The details of it were a bit sketchy from what the three found, but from what they could tell, it was the ability to create extensions from magic, sort of like projection from Fate/Stay Night, but mostly in regard to adding things to the human body. The most common cases were mostly those who had the ability of adding claws to their hands or creating strong, armor-like skin right over the skin. Akuro's was just the ability to manifest wings on his back, and they gained the odd ability to absorb magical energy in the air in small amounts, not to mention it also gave him the ability to fly.

Thanks to his wings, Akuro was slowly regaining magical energy lost from when he used Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens twice, though he didn't notice as he landed another slash, though a light one, to Kuzuha's shoulder, but she kept fighting as if it never happened. From what Akuro could tell, Kuzuha was in quite the battle frenzy, something that he'd never expected from her.

Although despite being in a battle frenzy, Akuro noticed that Kuzuha's defenses were slipping and he tried to take advantage of that. Sad to say, the rate that she was swinging both her kodachi and nodachi was fast, that he couldn't find any openings without getting injured himself. Looking at the crazed look in her eyes Akuro thought, 'Damn, I think she was holding back before now…!'

* * *

Down at the altar, Setsuna just rescued Konoka from Chigusa and was carrying her away to safety. Konoka commented her on her wings, something that made Setsuna blush when she whispered, "…For some reason, they remind me of someone…"

Setsuna knew who Konoka was talking about, and that brought back thoughts that she discarded earlier, "Um, Ojou-sama, there's something you should know about Akari-sensei…"

Konoka looked at her guardian with puzzled eyes, while Setsuna was being hesitant, eventually shaking her head saying, "…I'll tell you later Ojou-sama, now's not the best time…"

"…W-what's going on Se-chan? That big demon thing came out of nowhere and that woman said something about using my power to summon it…" Konoka looked at Setsuna with pleading eyes, and Setsuna knew that there was no avoiding explaining it. As they descended, she gave a sigh and started telling Konoka all about magic in a summarized detail, including Negi and 'Akari' being mages.

* * *

Back with Akuro and Kuzuha, the fighting was intense, with both fighters sustaining light injuries as they continued to battle. They were so focused that they didn't notice the fight down below, where Evangeline appeared and used her magic to destroy Sukuna, and it was only when they heard a loud shattering noise that they stopped to see what it was.

When Kuzuha saw Sukuna shatter from the ice, she gave a sigh saying, "Oh dear, it looks like Chigusa-san's failed. Oh well…"

Both fighters suddenly stopped fighting as Akuro said, "Since your client's plan failed, shouldn't you be hurrying along now?"

Kuzuha gave a thoughtful look before looking at Akuro with a smile, "Normally, yes, but I still need to beat you. I have my pride you know…"

"What?-! Just leave already, we don't have to fight anymore!" Akuro shouted, giving his opponent a hard look.

Ignoring Akuro, Kuzuha went on the attack, forcing Akuro on the defensive. Seeing the look Kuzuha had made him think, 'Guess I'll just have to make her go…'

* * *

Down at the altar, everyone was gathered together, with Negi being cured of his petrified state, thanks to the pactio between him and Konoka. Everyone was gathered together when they heard an explosion, and turned to the source, just in time to see a Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens blast rip into the sky. Negi took that as a sign and said, "That must be Akari…"

"Hmph, so your little assistant's been tied up this whole time? How pathetic…" Evangeline looked at the area with a hint of amusement, folding her arms and looking at the others.

"Don't you dare say that!" Setsuna shouted, her outburst surprising everyone. Evangeline turned to Setsuna with a raised eyebrow, "Oh, the silent Shinmei-ryu girl's acting out now?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Kuzuha and Akuro looked worn down with injuries, though out of the two, Kuzuha looked worse. Akuro launched a fiery Sagitta Magica at Kuzuha, which caused the explosion, but that was a decoy as Akuro went up close and fired Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens at near point blank, and it took all of Kuzuha's skill to dodge it. She got grazed by it though, and it caused quite the damage.

Now the two were kneeling in front of each other, Kuzuha holding her injured side with her good arm, and Akuro holding Yatsusuna with one hand, blinking blood out of one of his eyes. Despite his condition, Akuro smirked as he eyed Kuzuha, "So, you give up already?"

Kuzuha sighed, "…Well, I guess I'll call it quits. I've fulfilled my part of the contract, so I don't have to keep on going. I knew that western magic was powerful in it's own right, but that was a little too close for comfort…"

Keeping his silence, Akuro watched Kuzuha collect herself as she sheathed her weapons, "Let's call it quits for today, shall we? I'm going to go, just like you wanted, so let's hope we can have another match soon!"

Before Akuro could say anything, Kuzuha vanished via Instant Movement, making him sag in relaxation, with the pain from his wounds catching up to him. Despite being drained, Akuro focused and closed his eyes, "Mucro est meus Animus, per lux lucis vox, restituo is somes ut perficio valetudo, mens, somes, quod animus, Lux Lucis Renovatio!"

A strong light enveloped Akuro, and after a moment, the light died, revealing that all of his wounds were healed, and his ki reserves seemed to have recovered a bit. He gave a breath of relief, "Good thing that's the end of it…"

All of a sudden, Akuro felt a strong magic pressure coming from the lake, and couldn't help but think, 'Aw crap, what now?'

* * *

Down at the lake, everyone was resting for a bit before they go out to search for Akuro when the magic pressure coming at the center of the lake appeared suddenly. The weaker ones nearly buckled in surprise, as everyone looked towards the source. Evangeline for one was surprised as she recognized the source and gloated, "Well, it looks like I get to show off a bit more!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Negi had no idea what Evangeline was taking about, until two splashes erupted simultaneously from the area that Sukuna used to be before Evangeline shattered the demon. The ice leftover shattered, and in its place stood a demon that looked exactly like Sukuna, making every battle capable person go on the defensive. However they noticed that while it looked like Sukuna, it had only two arms and one face, making Evangeline say, "I didn't know that demon god had that ability…"

"What ability?" Some of the girls and Negi questioned Evangeline, and she explained it in simple terms, "Isn't it obvious you dolts? It essentially revived itself, obviously sacrificing some of its power, so it's weaker now."

Evangeline then turned to Chachamaru and ordered, "Chachamaru, prepare another barrier shell at once!"

"Of course Master." Chachamaru prepared to fire at Sukuna, when she noticed something about her weapon, "Master, it appears that the rifle is jammed, and it will take approximately five minutes to fix it."

"What?-! How on earth did that happen?" Evangeline had a look of shock on her face for an instant, but it quickly settled into one of confidence, "Whatever, I'll just use another End of the World spell again to get rid of this demon god! Chachamaru, just distract it while I cast the spell!"

Flying back into the air, she started chanting, and while that was going on, Asuna went over to Negi asking, "Shouldn't we go after Akari-sensei, Negi? That explosion a moment ago didn't look so good."

"Um…" Negi wasn't sure what to think, while Konoka overheard them and asked, "Negi-kun, is Akari-chan alright?"

"We're going to look for her after this is over, though I don't think she'll be in that much trouble," Negi replied, "She knows more healing spells than I do at least…"

That's when Setsuna went up to Negi and said, "Negi-sensei…"

When Negi and the others turned to Setsuna, she fidgeted a bit before she mentioned, "Um, I overheard you and Eishun-dono talking back in the baths…and I know the truth about Akari-sensei…"

Negi's eyes widened in surprise, as it didn't cross his mind at the time during the whole confusion of the attack back at HQ. Asuna looked a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden, while Konoka looked confused, "Se-chan, what do you mean the 'truth' about Akari-chan?"

Before Setsuna could answer, everyone heard Evangeline shout the finishing incantation, "Kosmikē Katastrophē!"

Everyone looked, with those witnessing it before thinking that Sukuna would fall again like it did before, but to their surprise, they saw that the spell had little effect on the demon god. It was encased in ice for like five seconds, before it broke free unharmed, much to everyone's surprise, even Evangeline's. That gave Sukuna an opening and it swung its massive fist towards the group, though everyone saw that it was heading right towards Konoka and Setsuna.

On instinct, Setsuna moved in front of Konoka to block the fist, making her call out her name in fear. Setsuna braced herself, but when she heard a weird bang, which sounded like a fist hitting a steel plate, she opened her eyes, only to see Akuro with his black wings in front of her, blocking the fist with Yatsusuna, though it looked like he was struggling against the pressure. Still under glamour, he said, "This is the second time this happened Setsuna-san. Please don't make it a habit, okay?"

"Akari-sensei/Akari-chan!" Everyone shouted in surprise, just as Akuro forced the fist back with a Zanganken, which only made a cut on Sukuna's fist. Breathing heavily, Akuro turned to the group, and they saw that his glamour was cracked, looking like a mask that was about to fall apart. Suffice to say, it freaked everyone out for a second, though Setsuna was the one to break the tension, "Akari-sensei…"

Akuro didn't realize that his glamour was breaking until Evangeline pointed out, "Heh, still an amateur, huh Sakuraba? Your disguise has a lot of cracks in it, you know?"

Wincing at that, Akuro turned back to Sukuna, who was roaring in what looked like indignation for being injured, but was distracted when Evangeline used an ice Sagitta Magica to attack it, turning it's attention to her. She flew off muttering something that sounded like, "Cleaning up messes are for idiots…"

After that, Negi went up to Akuro and inspected his face, and definitely saw that the glamour was starting to break. He was about to warn Akuro, but he shook his head saying, "Forget it Negi, I'm starting to get sick of this disguise."

Mana and Kaede were silent, while Ku Fei just observed curiously with Yue. Asuna was beside Konoka, who looked confused at the whole thing. Negi and Setsuna were the ones who were eyeing Akuro intently as he went on, "This trip, has been one thing after another for the past three days, and I'm really getting sick of it."

Putting a hand to his face, Akuro went on, "Screw the sentence, if I have to spend another day as a girl, I'm gonna do something unpleasant that involves Yatsusuna, a whip, and silk rope! Glamour Break!"

With that, Akuro's entire glamour broke, with his clothes staying the same since they weren't part of it. Lowering his hand, everyone got a look of his true appearance, and while Setsuna remained calm, Konoka looked at Akuro with surprise, "Eh…Kuro…chan…?"

"That's right Konoka," Akuro sheathed Yatsusuna and handed it to Negi, who held onto it with both hands, "Akari Sakuraba's an alias and persona that I take when I need to go undercover, though I guess I'm not cut out for prolonged periods of undercover work…"

Konoka looked speechless as Akuro turned to Setsuna, ignoring the explosions that were going on, "You don't seem surprised Setsuna."

"…I overheard Eishun-dono and Negi-sensei talk about you in the baths earlier," Setsuna admitted, "Why were you deceiving us?"

"…Sorry, that's classified," Akuro knew that the Kansai Magic Association is going to bust him later, but didn't want anyone to know, "Now's not the time to discuss that, not with an elementally immune Sukuna behind us."

"Elementally immune?" Negi looked confused by that, making Akuro say, "Again, now's not the time to discuss that."

Turning around, Akuro's black wings were completely visible to everyone, making them look at them. Konoka was staring at them when a memory came back to her, "I remember now, eight years ago…Kuro-chan had wings back then too…"

"Um, are you like Setsuna-san, Aka, ahem, Akuro-sensei?" Asuna asked, using Akuro's real name now that the cat's out of the bag.

Shaking his head, Akuro drew Ryuhana, which Setsuna's eyes homed in on while he replied, "No, I'm completely human. It's just an ability of mine…"

"That's…Ryuhana…" Setsuna looked at the blade with fascination. Akuro smirked and said, "Yeah, Ryuhana chose me to be the next wielder, weird huh?"

Before anyone could say anything else, Akuro flew into the air, and to everyone surprise, sprouted another set of wings underneath the ones he already had, making it four in total. He sped off towards Sukuna, where Evangeline was throwing every spell she knew at it to no effect. Chachamaru managed to fix her weapon and was helping Evangeline with artillery fire, though she was more or less fighting the lesser demons that Sukuna seemed to be summoning to wear the two down.

Evangeline was busy slicing a demon in half with Ensis Exsequens when another one sneaked up on her and prepared to strike. She was about to turn around and slice it in half when Akuro beat her to it, with Ryuhana cutting right through it. Surprised, Evangeline raised an eyebrow at Akuro's presence, "So, that's who you really look like huh? What do you want?"

"I'm going to use Sukuna as a stress reliever, what about you?" Akuro sounded a bit irritated and sarcastic at the same time, making Evangeline look at him with a raised eyebrow as she casually stabbed another summoned demon through the head.

"Hmph, I'm just going to leave this up to you Shinmei-ryu," Evangeline said with a huff, "These small fry are getting annoying, and I can't even get up close to that demon with them in the way. They're multiplying like flies."

Akuro took care of a group of demons that tried to surround them with Hyakuretsu Okazan as he said, "You want to take care of Sukuna, or should I?"

"Hmm…I'll let you take care of the big demon Sakuraba," Evangeline sounded bored for some reason, "I think I showed the boya enough of my power, and cutting these demons down is starting to get on my nerves."

Not replying to that, Akuro just headed straight for Sukuna, slicing demons that were in the way as Evangeline recited, "Lic Lac La Lac Lilac,

Summoning icicles, they rained down upon most of the demons, taking them out by skewering them. Akuro went to Sukuna's face and it tried to swat him away like a fly, with its speed faster than Akuro thought it was, skinning him as he dodged the strike. However, it was a feint as it's mouth started glowing and was pointed right at him, forcing Akuro to chant, "Mucro est meus Animus, Veniant Spiritus Aeriales Fulgurientes! Cum Fulguratione Flet Tempestas Austrina! Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens!"

Sukuna's energy beam and Akuro's Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens blast hit each other head on, canceling each other out, though the blast was closer to him then to Sukuna. Using a barrier to take the brunt of the blast, Akuro went back on the offensive with Zankusen Kai, though it only did minimal damage.

Formulating a plan in his head, Akuro switched from Shinmei-ryu techniques to spells, though he had a hard time casting due to his magic reserves running low, 'Fighting Kuzuha took a big bite out of me, I have to think up of something now, 'cause I'm not dying here today of all places!

'I guess I need to use that technique, though I don't know if it'll work in my current condition…' Akuro finally decided, as he slashed a demon in half that tried to sneak up on him.

A few minutes later, despite wearing Sukuna down with a few spells and techniques, and the occasional magic blast from Evangeline, Akuro felt his magic and Ki reserves running pretty low at that point, and he knew that it needed to be finished now. So focusing on Ryuhana, he channeled what Ki he had left and whispered on word, "Release."

That's when Ryuhana started glowing, and the Ki that was stored into it made it start to glow a bluish aura. Down below, Konoka started to have a weird feeling in her chest as she looked in Sukuna's direction. Setsuna noticed and asked, "O-Ojou-sama, what's wrong?"

"I feel…something familiar," Konoka sounded a bit out of it as she continued to stare out at the battlefield, "It feels…like family…?"

Konoka's words didn't make much sense to Setsuna, nor anyone else for the matter as a voice called out to them, "Konoka, everyone! Are you all alright?"

"Mom!" Konoka and everyone else turned to see Kanade and an old looking man approach them. Kanade hugged her daughter very tightly in relief as the old man looked up at Sukuna and muttered, "Looks like we were a bit too late I see…"

Everyone wondered who the old guy was, though people like Ku Fei and Setsuna could feel that he was strong by just standing there. That's when Negi called out to him, "Ah, Yojiro-san!"

"Ah, Negi my boy, it's been a while!" The old man, who had shoulder length grey hair and a beard to match Konoemon, now known as Yojiro, looked at Negi with surprise, "Looks like you've got roughed up quite a bit. Sorry that we couldn't get here sooner."

"Ah, Yojiro-oji-san!" Konoka looked happy to see Yojiro, while Setsuna's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Yojiro, bowing down to him in respect, "Ah, Yojiro Konoe-sama!"

"Hmm? Ah, if it isn't Konoka's protector, Setsuna Sakurazaki, was it?" Yojiro looked at Setsuna with approving eyes, despite the wings, "Good job protecting my grandniece all these years, I'm sure that you'll become a strong Shinmei-ryu warrior in the future."

"Your words are wasted on me Konoe-sama!" Setsuna blushed as she bowed lower to Yojiro. He turned to Kanade and commented, "Ha, she's just like what you said Kanade, a bit uptight, but loyal nonetheless, fufufu…"

That's when there was an explosion, and everyone turned to see smoke surround Sukuna as Akuro started to become engulfed in Ryuhana's aura. That made everyone look as Yojiro muttered, "I guess he's going to use 'that' technique…"

Up in the sky, Akuro's eyes turn red as he eyed Sukuna intently, dodging all the strikes the demon lashed out at him with. Building up momentum and speed, Akuro charged right in with Ryuhana glowing brightly shouting, "Shinmei-ryu Kessen Ougi: Zantetsuken!"

In a flash, Akuro was behind Sukuna in a stance, with the glow from Ryuhana gone now. It was like time had frozen for a second he sheathed Ryuhana, in a click, Sukuna was sliced in half from the waist diagonally, with its top half sliding down into the water with a splash. That caused the summoned demons to disappear, while Evangeline smirked, "Hmm, so that's the famous one-hit-kill Shinmei-ryu technique… Not as flashy as my own spells, but it does get the job done."

Breathing heavily, Akuro snapped out of the trance he was in and made his way towards the altar where everyone was waiting. However, as he flew, the ki and magic exhaustion was quickly catching up to him and he started wobbling in the air, though he managed to retain focus enough to land back on the altar. Using Ryuhana as a crutch, Akuro looked around as the others started running towards him, looking concerned as he did look like he was put through the mill.

"Kuro-chan!" Konoka's voice rang out through the night, still in her Pactio clothes that Negi's contract granted her. Akuro saw Kanade and Yojiro among the group and was surprised to see that they were there with them. He tried to say something, but his entire body went into shock and he fell unconscious, his wings disappearing as he fell.

Yojiro used instant movement to catch him before Akuro hit the ground, and the group caught up to him as the Shinmei-ryu master gently laid Akuro on the altar. Konoka looked concerned as she asked, "W-what's wrong with Kuro-chan?"

"Ki and magic exhaustion from the looks of it, though it's leaning more towards the ki side," Yojiro observed, "Using Zantetsuken in his current state was a foolhardy move. If it wasn't for Ryuhana, he would've died moments after using it."

Everyone listening was shocked except for Kanade, who sighed as she went over to check Akuro's state. Setsuna narrowed her eyes as she said, "I've never heard of this Zantetsuken technique. Zantetsusen yes, but not this one."

"There's a good reason for that," Evangeline interrupted as she and Chachamaru landed near them, "I'm sure the master over there knows the reason, doesn't he?"

"It's been awhile McDowell-san, and not even a hello?" Yojiro looked at Evangeline with a hint of amusement, "I take it my brother has something to do with you being here?"

"Quite," Evangeline nodded, "Now shouldn't you be explaining that technique to these kids?"

"Yes, of course. Anyway, Zantetsuken is mostly an unused Shinmei-ryu Kessen Ougi, and for good reason. It's able to slay demons in one slash, but depending on how strong the demon is, the ki required to execute it can range from medium to extremely high. Weakening the demon helps lower it, but for a demon on the level of Sukuna and such, using Zantetsuken even in it's weakened state would kill a normal Shinmei-ryu user, let alone one in a weakened state." Yojiro explained.

Setsuna couldn't help but pale slightly at that as she gave a concerned glance at Akuro, when Asuna asked, "Excuse me, but what does that, um, Ryuhana blade has to do with that one-hit-kill technique?"

Yojiro was about to answer when Kanade said, "It's getting late, and we need to head back to the mansion and cure those petrified people."

Everyone nodded as Setsuna folded her wings, while Yojiro gave a short answer, "Just to answer your question Ojou-chan, Ryuhana has the ability to store ki within itself by leeching off a small amount from its current owner everyday. I'd share with you its other properties, but for now, let's head back to the Kansai HQ for some rest."

Yojiro went over and picked up Akuro, while Kanade went over to put Ryuhana back in its sheath and carried it. With that, everyone headed back together, though Kaede, Mana, and Ku Fei tried to back to the inn, but Kanade invited them to rest at the mansion overnight as thanks for the help. As they walked, Konoka looked at Ryuhana in Kanade's hands and asked, "Mom, why does Ryuhana feel so familiar? Just looking at it gives me a sense of warmth for a bit."

"That's a bit complicated dear," Kanade replied, "All I can say is that our family played a big part in Ryuhana's creation. Believe me Konoka, I can feel it too."

"Okay Mom…" Konoka then looked at Akuro, who was on Yojiro's back, to Setsuna, who looked oddly quiet. Konoka admitted to herself, that something like this was the last thing she expected to happen on this trip.

* * *

**Notes**: Okay, I have to apologize for two things. First is that rant I did last chapter. I think I wasn't thinking properly when I did that, and I think I was angry about something when I ranted. It was a while ago so I can't remember why, but anyway, I apologize about that rant, it doesn't mean anything.

Second would be about this chapter. I wrote it last year and I think I edited it too, but forgot about the whole thing. I apologize in advance if there's any mistakes.

Now that that's done, onto the explanations. I'm sure most of you are wondering about the whole Sukuna thing, it's something I came up with after re-reading the manga chapter of when Evangeline showed up and blew Sukuna away in one spell. I figured I'd put some twist into Sukuna, since in canon, it was made out to be something strong and it got blown away by one spell, even if it was all powerful. In that fact, I decided to give the demon god another ability, if it even had one in the first place, which is a resurrection ability. It comes back to life but with half it's strength and elemental immunity, hence it's one face appearance.

Next would be the Shinmei-ryu Technique I made up, and I'm pretty sure most of you reader know where I got it from. Anyway, here's a basic rundown of the technique.

Shinmei-ryu Kessen Ougi: Zantetsuken – not to be confused with Zantetsusen, which is a Ki release technique, Zantetsuken is pretty much a one-hit-kill technique, which kills demons in one slice with lightning speed. However, the amount of Ki needed to fuel the technique depends on how strong the demon is. For example, a low-level demon would require a small amount of Ki, while something like Sukuna would need a lot of Ki. Due to this, this technique isn't used widespread, it is well known and a number of Shinmei-ryu user know how to perform this technique. Also, while it is extremely effective against demons, against other beings like humans, it has a hit or miss thing against them, meaning that sometimes the technique won't even work on them.

Now I think I'll end this note here. I'm having trouble with future chapters (more like I'm having trouble stringing a full sentence together these days) but if anyone has any questions or the like, give a review or PM, and I'll try to answer the best I can. Oh, I really can't respond to anonymous reviews though, just to say.


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